Puratos opens Asia Development Centre in Hong Kong to help local bakery sector better serve Asia’s changing tastes

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - March 1, 2017 - Today, Puratos opened the Puratos Asia Development Centre (ADC) in Hong Kong as a platform for innovation across the bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors. The Hong Kong ADC will help Asian artisans, industrial food producers, retailers and food service companies analyse trends and create new products for the region's consumers.

According to Puratos research, Asian consumers are future-oriented and enjoy new products that use natural ingredients and deliver freshness, health and taste. The Hong Kong ADC will enable Puratos customers to respond to these changing needs and expectations with constant innovation. The ADC is staffed by an international team of technical experts and provides state-of-the-art facilities including a Sensory Analysis Lab, a Sensobox mobile sensorial lab, an Industrial Competence Centre and a long-term research laboratory. It also includes a Chocolate Café and Bakery Café to inspire customers with the latest tastes in bread, cake, chocolate and pastry.

Hong Kong investment supports Asian bakery sector

"The bakery business in Asia is benefitting from rising disposable income and changing lifestyle and consumption patterns. With our innovative ingredients, solutions and application expertise, Puratos wants to inspire our customers to innovate and differentiate to serve this growing market, " said Peter Deriemaeker, Market Director Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa at Puratos. "Having invested around USD500,000 in putting together the ADC, we will continue to invest in R&D and infrastructure in Hong Kong to remain close to our customers in Asia."

In addition to its R&D function, the Hong Kong ADC will serve as Puratos' regional headquarters. The company is experiencing double-digit growth in Asia, where it expects to see ongoing and rapid development across all three of its business segments: bakery, patisserie and chocolate.

"Asia is a market of great potential for our industry and it is very important to Puratos. We selected Hong Kong as our regional base because this is an Asian business and innovation hub as well as a strategic market that leads bakery, patisserie and chocolate trends in the region," Mr. Deriemaeker continued.

Taste Tomorrow consumer survey

Puratos conducts regular research to drive industry innovation. Its recent Taste Tomorrow consumer survey interviewed close to 11,000 consumers in 25 countries about their choices, attitudes and perceptions related to the baked goods industry. Puratos analyses and shares this data to provide the baked goods industry with in-depth insights into global and local consumer behaviour and trends related to bakery, patisserie and chocolate.

According to the Taste Tomorrow survey, Asian consumers are optimistic and open to product innovation. Lifestyle changes and global trends are changing their habits, creating opportunities for artisanal and industrial food producers, retailers and food service companies. Research highlights include:

• 65% of Asia-Pacific consumers expect a greater diversity of food in the future
• Only 38% of consumers expect that food will be of higher quality in the future
• 73% read food labels in detail
• Asia-Pacific consumers appreciate 'power ingredients' that balance taste and health; for example, 81% find wholegrain/wholemeal healthy and 67% find it tasty
• 75% of consumers would buy more products at bakeries where everything is baked with natural ingredients, while 31% fear food will become less natural in the future
• 75% appreciate bakeries where the oven is in sight and bakery items are freshly baked on site
• 42% of Asia-Pacific consumers freeze bread weekly to preserve freshness

About Puratos

Puratos is an international group, which offers a full range of innovative products and application expertise for artisans, industry, retailers and food service customers in the bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors. Our headquarters are located on the outskirts of Brussels (Belgium), where the company was founded in 1919. Today, our products and services are available in over 100 countries around the world. In many cases, they are produced locally by our subsidiaries. Above all, we aim to be 'reliable partners in innovation' across the globe to help our customers deliver nutritious, tasty food to their local communities. For further information, visit www.puratos.com.