IFF (NYSE: IFF), a global leader in food and beverage, home and personal care, scent, and health—announced that it aims to complete the renovation and expansion of its facilities in Shanghai Hongqiao Airport Business Park, Shanghai, China. The site will be fully operational by the end of August 2024. The 16,000 square-meter site, named “Shanghai Creative Center,” is IFF’s largest in Asia. The project is designed to drive the development of innovative solutions across the IFF portfolio in China and the Greater Asia market, further strengthening its global leadership in fragrances, flavors, functional ingredients, and bioscience-based portfolios.
“The Shanghai Creative Center will bring together capabilities across IFF, all in one location, enabling us to improve our delivery of end-to-end solutions for customers in Asia and around the world,” said Erik Fyrwald, IFF chief executive officer. “This was a natural next step following the opening of our Singapore Innovation Center in 2022 and reaffirms our dedication to advancing innovation in Asia.”
IFF first entered the Chinese market in 1981, becoming the fragrance and flavor industry’s first multinational to establish footprint and to set up a factory. The newly renovated site signals the importance of the Asia region to IFF, globally. Today, China is one of the most important markets for flavors and fragrances with high potential for growth. Furthermore, the region’s demand for bioscience-based products is rapidly accelerating, as consumers increasingly seek options for greater longevity and healthy lifestyles. IFF’s deep knowledge and experience in these sectors, coupled with this investment in the innovation center, positions the Company to offer differentiated products to market quickly and effectively to support its customers’ brand growth strategies in China.
“IFF has a long track-record of partnering with our customers to create successful solutions that meet their consumers’ needs,” said Ana Paula Mendonça, IFF Scent president. “The Shanghai Creative Center will foster outstanding ideation, supporting the art of taste, biotech, and perfumery, for even more out-of-the-box innovation across our portfolio.”
Designed with collaboration and co-creation at its core, the Shanghai Creative Center is poised to become a hub for technical synergy and sensory exploration. The facilities will include an open-office layout, a sensory science center, a Scent creative center, and state-of-the-art labs set up for creation, design, and product analysis, fostering an environment where all technical disciplines converge. The site’s culinary demo kitchen and the pioneering instant noodle pilot line underscore its vision of culinary innovation. The center also features an exclusive fine fragrance area dedicated to the art of perfumery, and a groundbreaking 360° digital space, offering an immersive olfactory experience that bridges the physical and digital realms, setting the stage for live-streaming educational workshops.
This multifaceted approach not only empowers perfumers and flavorists to craft new sensory delights but also strategically positions the center to meet the nuanced tastes of Chinese consumers, serving local, regional, and international markets.
