In response to customer’s need for inspiration, innovation and increased speed-to-market, Cargill is proud to open its first European Protein Innovation Hub in Saint-Cyr en Val, France. 

The new facility, which forms part of Cargill’s Saint-Cyr en Val plant located near Orleans, will enable customers to co-create inspiring protein rich menu strategies. It features a customer experience area, a state-of-the-art test kitchen and a unique pilot plant to test new products and concepts. 

Karel Zimmermann, Managing Director of Cargill Protein Europe explains: “Cargill’s Protein Innovation Hub is the perfect home for unsurpassed protein experiences where inspiration, co-creation and innovation meet to transform ideas into an exciting reality. Our customers can explore the entire world of protein under one roof - from consumer and marketing insights to sensory profiling and product concepts. It is our first Protein Innovation Hub in Europe and part of our continued investment in Protein as an essential component of the food chain.” 

The new facility forms part of a €50M investment into Cargill’s Saint-Cyr en Val site which will see almost 70% of the production facilities renovated by 2025. 

Sustainability is at the heart of this investment, with energy saving programs including the introduction of a new state-of-the-art refrigeration unit, (-11% electricity consumption) and heat pumps to produce hot water for cleaning (–5% gas consumption and –20% water consumption). Overall, this step change in the site’s environmental footprint represents a reduction of 220t of CO2 emissions per year.