To understand the mechanics behind the operations of Bunge Ltd., Robin Whitley says the agribusiness and food giant’s Creative Solutions Center in St. Charles is the best place to visit.
“The most knowledge about our business and how it works and happens is probably here — not from operations, but the chemistry and science of what’s going on,” said Whitley, facility manager of the Creative Solutions Center, during a recent tour of the space.
Bunge’s Creative Solutions Center, located at 16 Research Park Drive, is the global company's flagship North American innovation center. The 40,000-square-foot facility opened in 2017. It operates with a technical staff of more than 30 and includes five pilot plants that develop new food ingredients products.
“Not only are we here for the innovation of those kinds of products, but we’re also here to collaborate and support our customers and potentially show our customers what could be. Oftentimes, they don’t have research facilities of this magnitude or scope,” Whitley said.
MORE: The turnaround: How Bunge's move to St. Louis helped put it back into growth mode
Bunge is a major supplier of ingredients for food service companies and food manufacturers, with its edible oils segment providing cooking oils, shortenings, margarines, mayonnaise and specialty ingredients. Bunge also sells wheat flours, bakery mixes and corn-based products through its milling division.
“I tell everybody that everyday we have all probably eaten something that had gone in a Bunge plant somewhere,” Whitley said.
In addition to its pilot plants, Bunge’s Creative Solution Center includes a culinary kitchen, analytical lab and bakery lab. Bunge said the facility tests and develops new products and food industry innovation through small-scale, pilot manufacturing. For example, Whitley said the bakery lab focuses on testing product development for tortillas, frostings and bread.
“They were baking some brioche here the other day for testing,” he said.
The most recent addition to the innovation center is its protein development lab, which was added within the past year. The addition coincides with Bunge's expansion in the growing plant-based protein market, which the company believes can be a boost to its ingredients business.
“With the trend that is definitely in place with plant-based foods and the growth we are seeing there, many of those products are good and people like them because of the lipids, the specialty fats and oils. We provide that and give them the mouthful or the bite or taste that people love,” Bunge CEO Greg Heckman said in a recent interview.
Bunge’s Creative Solutions Center is one of 10 innovation centers. Bunge had research and development expenses of $24 million in 2020, up from $15 million in 2019, according to its annual report.
