Kerry, a world leading provider of taste and nutrition solutions, has recently inaugurated a new state-of-the-art taste manufacturing facility in Karawang, West Java, Indonesia. The new €30 million (US$32.8 million) 50,000 sq.metre facility has significantly expanded Kerry’s unique regional taste offering in the rapidly expanding Southeast Asian market (SEA).
The facility is the company’s largest greenfield investment in SEA and largest capital investment in the region. It will encompass a flavour manufacturing site, research and development pilot plant, and a sampling hub. Its wide range of flavour technologies will enable local culinary driven authentic taste inspired by popular local and traditional cuisines such as soto ayam, a comfort food of chicken soup spiced with turmeric and balado, a well-loved Indonesian spice mix.
The Karawang facility will support Kerry’s food and beverage systems across all food categories, including Beverage, Snacks, and Bakery, which are among the company’s fastest growing end use markets.
As part of Kerry’s Beyond the Horizon sustainability strategy, the company has prioritised sustainability initiatives across the entire facility. This includes an on-site wastewater treatment plant — this will achieve new standards in the consumption of energy and water with significantly lower CO2 emissions, and no waste to landfill, computerised climate control to allow data collection for improved efficiency, local sourcing where possible, and all utility equipment has been designed to the latest energy efficiency standards.
Commenting on the new facility, Edmond Scanlon, Kerry Group CEO said, “The opening of our state-of-the-art facility will not only expand our reach into the flourishing Southeast Asian taste market but also revolutionise the way sustainable nutrition is embraced in the region. By collaborating with leading food and beverage manufacturers, we will harness our global technologies to create tastes and flavours that resonate with Asian consumers’ specific preferences.”
With an estimated value of approximately €1 billion (US$1.1 billion) and growing rapidly, the Southeast Asian Taste market presents an exceptional opportunity for companies prioritising development and innovation in the food and beverage industry. The Indonesian Government’s ‘Making Indonesia 4.0’ initiative has emphasised the significance of the food and beverage sector in propelling the nation towards becoming one of the world’s top 10 economies by 2030.
John Cahalane, President & CEO, Kerry Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa said, “As the largest economy in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is in a unique position to support the regional market. Our cutting-edge Karawang facility will spearhead the next generation of sustainable food and nutrition in Asia. Through a focus on taste, functionality, health, and wellness, we aim to minimise the environmental and social footprint of the regional food industry value chain while fostering local employment and communities. The opening of the Karawang facility is a significant step forward in realising our vision of creating a world of sustainable nutrition where we innovate with our customers to create delicious quality products, with improved nutrition and functionality, while ensuring better impact for the planet. Working together, we can usher in a new era of sustainable nutrition.”
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