Puratos IBCC

Puratos, the international bakery, patisserie and chocolate ingredients supplier, has opened a £1.3m R&D facility at its Fringford Mill site near Bicester, Oxfordshire.

The Industrial Bakery Competence Centre will focus on research into industrial bakery processes, and provide customers with tools and training to develop and test products tailored for large-scale manufacture.

Fringford’s facility is number 58 in Puratos’ global network of R&D premises, following the opening of the €15m (£12.7m) Inspirience centre in Brussels.

“This is an important step in our ongoing commitment to investing in our customers’ success, as well as in achieving our ambitious aspirations to double our market share in the next five years,” said UK MD Julian Lewis.

The new centre’s design and equipment was guided by “many months collaborating closely with our key industrial partners”, he added. “By expanding our industrial development capabilities at Fringford, it will enable us to better help our customers to enhance their businesses through research, development, training and inspiration.”