Cargill opens a Culinary Experience Hub in Vilvoorde to help customers respond to evolving consumer demand

Cargill has opened a Culinary Experience Hub in its research & development site (R&D) in Vilvoorde, Belgium. Customers from across the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region are invited to solve their food formulation challenges and co-create new ingredients and recipes alongside Cargill’s food experts. The facility features a bakery pilot plant, a regional frying center and a culinary tasting area with capabilities for dairy, beverage, bakery, convenience foods and culinary applications.

Vilvoorde is one of Cargill’s first culinary experience centers. The center is specialized in research and development into new food ingredients and recipes, as has a professional chef, who works with customers to either adapt existing products to evolving consumer demands, or to develop new products from scratch.

“Imagine you’re a Cargill customer trying to identify the best ingredients for consumers. You could hear about an ingredient’s specifications and functionality, and perhaps sample a prototype. Or you could come to Cargill in Vilvoorde to co-create and taste a freshly prepared plate of food products like the consumer would at home or in a restaurant,” explains André van der Wulp, Cargill R&D leader in EMEA.

“Cargill’s Vilvoorde Culinary Experience Hub houses a team of culinary experts and chefs that collaborate with customers to develop on-the-spot innovative solutions that specifically address the challenges and demands of consumers,” van der Wulp continued. “Our quality products combined with a dash of culinary creativity help us and our customers come up with new, on-trend food solutions that don’t compromise on taste, quality and affordability.”

The Vilvoorde Culinary Experience Hub is located in Cargill’s European R&D Center, the company’s primary research and development center serving the EMEA region. It is closely linked to a network of innovation centers that provide R&D, applications and technical service support to customers around the world, which places the company in close contact with evolving trends in local markets, allowing customers to tailor products to local market tastes. The center in Vilvoorde employs over 150 scientists and technologists.

Cargill’s 160,000 employees across 70 countries work relentlessly to achieve our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way. Every day, we connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and people and animals with the food they need to thrive. We combine 154 years of experience with new technologies and insights to serve as a trusted partner for food, agriculture, financial and industrial customers in more than 125 countries. Side-by-side, we are building a stronger, sustainable future for agriculture.

Cargill was established in Belgium via a grain importing office in Antwerp in 1953. We now have over 1,300 employees in eight locations: Antwerp (three locations), Izegem, Ghent, Herent, Vilvoorde, Mechelen and Mouscron. Cargill’s activities in Belgium include the production of food ingredients and the processing, distribution and trading of a variety of grains and oilseeds. Both Cargill’s European headquarters for its food businesses and Cargill’s European R&D Centre, are located in Belgium.