Nestle: opens second R+D facility dedicated to out-of-home business

Vevey / CH. (nsa) Nestle S.A. opened the new Nestle Professional Customer Innovation Campus in Solon, Ohio (U.S.), dedicated to the development of culinary food solutions for the out-of-home business. The new facility was inaugurated by Marc Caira, Global Business Executive Nestle Professional, Jorge Sadurni, President Nestle Professional Americas, and Kevin Patton, Mayor of Solon.

The establishment of the Customer Innovation Campus underlines the importance that Nestle attributes both to R+D and to the out-of-home business, one of its four strategic growth areas. Consumers are spending more on out-of-home food and beverages, a trend which is set to continue.

Over the coming years, Nestle Professional will invite chefs and executives from a variety of foodservice segments – restaurants, hotels, schools, business facilities – to the Customer Innovation Campus in Solon to learn more about key consumer trends and to collaborate on the development of customized menu and food solutions. The Customer Innovation Campus in Solon will employ 100 people, including world-class chefs.

Nestle is investing around 17 million CHF in this new R+D facility. After the Nestle Professional Beverage Centre in Orbe this is the second R+D Centre dedicated to the out-of-home business. Nestle has the largest R+D network of any food and beverage company, with an investment of 1,88 billion CHF in 2007.

The out-of-home market has a potential of 500 billion CHF and Nestle expects to double its sales within the next ten years. Nestle Professional will assume full operational and financial responsibility from January 2009.