Cargill opens first Innovation Center in Thailand to meet growing protein demand

BANGKOK, Thailand – (26 October 2022) - Cargill today officially opened the Cargill Innovation Center in Thailand. This is the company’s first protein product innovation center in Southeast Asia. The center will work with Thailand Science Park and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) for research and development of foods and agricultural products that meet consumer demands for healthier and more sustainable products. The collaboration will also support Thailand’s aim to become a key player in the global food supply chain. 

Cargill Innovation Center in Thailand will focus on three areas of R&D – protein products, value-added protein products and agricultural technology products for future goods. The first protein innovation hub in Southeast Asia, this center will offer comprehensive R&D for both food and non-food products. It will connect consumer and customers’ demand with available and new innovations. At the same time, teams at the innovation center will develop products that satisfy domestic demand from consumers in Thailand in terms of taste and nutritional value through its two flagship brands – Sun Valley chicken products and PlantEver plant-based meals by continuously bringing new products to the market. Cargill also plans to meet a broader range of customer needs by working closely with restaurants and retail partners to develop a wide variety of products suitable for overseas markets.

Spread over 1,000 square meters and located in the Thailand Science Park, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, the center includes a Sensory & Kitchen Studio where food scientists and researchers analyze consumer insights; a Kitchen Lab where new products are developed to satisfy consumer demands; and a Pilot Line which is a miniature production line for new products. The research and development teams at this center are continuously working on new ideas to improve products and agricultural technology, for example, managing and adding value to the factory and agricultural by-products.

Mr. Thiti Tuangsithtanon, Managing Director, Cargill Meats (Thailand), explained, “The Cargill Innovation Center was established as part of our commitment to contributing to the Thai economy through the development of the country’s agricultural and food sectors. Its research and development activities will help create quality food products with higher nutrition value, better taste and texture to cater to growing consumer demand for such products. It will also focus on creating value-added agricultural products, and use of applied agricultural technology that will benefit the global food supply chain.”

“We strongly believe that this will strengthen the industry’s aspirations to create innovations and increase capability which is very important to drive economic growth for Thailand, one of the world’s top food exporters. Through the center Cargill will also share its global expertise in food science and food technology, our worldwide innovation network, and consumer insights to create new products that best address the needs of consumers, now and in the future,” Thiti said.

Cargill Innovation Center in Thailand will work closely with government agencies and private sector organizations on research and development. This long-term investment is aimed at increasing innovation efficiency based on the BCG (bio-circular-green) economy model. The center will collaborate with Thailand Science Park and other organizations under NSTDA in exchanging knowledge and research in order to create innovative products with commercial value. The center will also coordinate with different organizations to turn ideas into reality and introduce practical products that best address consumer demands.

Cargill is committed to utilizing its global capabilities and research and development expertise to develop innovative food and agricultural products that address growing consumer demand worldwide. Cargill already has four innovation centers across Asia, in Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing and Gurugram. The new Cargill Innovation Center in Thailand will join this network and become the fifth innovation center in Asia and contribute to Cargill’s goal of being a food and agricultural product manufacturer that addresses consumer demands, delivers safe and sustainable product innovations, and adopts responsible production processes that ensure sustainability throughout the global food and agriculture supply chain.