Free training for bakers at ADM’s new technical centre in Germany
The bakery business represents an important market for chocolate and cocoa products, Rinus Heemskerk, director of Innovation at ADM Cocoa told BakeryandSnacks.com.
At the facility there will be special sessions on new bakery inclusions, such as chocolate chunks, chocolate chips and bakery-stable fillings, he said.
“Additionally, we work with our bakery customers on the specific attributes of chocolates for enrobing biscuits, cakes and wafers, as well as for moulded chocolate wafers and biscuits,” said Heemskerk.
“While every manufacture has different requirements, ADM and deZaan have worked to create product and application solutions to address each of these key drivers.”
German location
The Advantage Centre in Mannheim, Germany complements similar set ups at ADM’s other facilities in Liverpool and Singapore.
“We have seen significant interest from customers in our Advantage Centres and are continually looking to expand the concept to other locations,” said Heemskerk.
ADM also has a separate R&D centre for oils and fats at the Noblee & Thörl Werks in Hamburg.
The ingredients giant picked Germany as the home of its next innovation centre as it is the most populous country in Europe and represents a significant portion of the European chocolate market, he said.
“Our German customers appreciate the quality and product innovation that the deZaan brand offers, and this facility is one more way to serve their needs,” Heemskerk added.
Facilities and courses
Having easy access to a dedicated centre, with its own pilot plant and laboratories, will help German customers optimise their formulations, reduce costs and streamline the product development process, according to ADM.
The company plans to hold application courses and demonstrations of manufacturing techniques at the centre – for bakery, confectionery and beverage applications.
The ADM Advantage seminars, which are free for customers, are organized at regular intervals on general topics such as processing, applications and formulations.
Supplement seminars with customer-specific courses are designed to address particular customer needs, said Heemskerk.
Customers can organize their participation in the centre through their ADM Cocoa account manager.
