Firmenich Opens New Era in Ingredient Creation with Launch of Biotech and Naturals Pilot Plant in Geneva - PRNewswire

GENEVA, Switzerland, Sept. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Firmenich, the world's largest privately-owned Perfume and Taste company, is proud to announce the opening of its new biotechnology and naturals pilot plant and laboratory in Geneva. Benefiting from the latest digital technology, the facility opens a new era for the development of ingredients and clean label solutions by providing faster speed-to-market and greater flexibility for customer collaboration. Integrated into the Group's flagship ingredients production site at La Plaine, Geneva, the facility operates to the highest safety and environmental standards, reducing waste and energy consumption.

"With our new biotechnology pilot plant closely connected with the ingredients production site, Firmenich provides integrated biotech development all the way down to the finished product, without any gaps," said Genevieve Berger, Chief Research Officer, Firmenich. "Opening a new era in ingredients creation, our pilot plant and laboratory harnesses new technologies to improve clean label solutions, while the latest digital innovation maximizes efficiency."

"Our new pilot plant provides greater flexibility to respond to customer needs in product development," said Sarah Reisinger, Senior Vice President Research Operations, Firmenich. "Capable of handling multiple projects simultaneously, it also enables small scale production of trial batches for formulation or testing and regulatory validation."

Operational this month, the pilot plant at La Plaine is a cornerstone for new ingredients for both perfumery and flavors, enabling the development of the most efficient and high-quality production processes through biotechnology or natural extraction. Harnessing digital technology for increased automation, the pilot plant is able to move from single to continuous batch process, increasing efficiency, speed and reducing the use of raw materials.

In keeping with Firmenich's recognized track record in sustainability, the new pilot plant benefits from efficient bioreactors, which minimizes both the amount of waste produced and energy consumed.

Upcycling an existing building at the Firmenich site in La Plaine, the new facility benefit from full synergies with the ingredients production plant. State of the art safety and environmental features were also designed into the new pilot plant and laboratory.

About Firmenich

Firmenich is the world's largest privately-owned perfume and taste company, founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895 and has been family-owned for 125 years. Firmenich is a leading business-to-business company operating primarily in the fragrance and taste market, specialized in the research, creation, manufacture and sale of perfumes, flavors and ingredients. Renowned for its world-class research and creativity, as well as its leadership in sustainability, Firmenich offers its customers superior innovation in formulation, a broad and high-quality palette of ingredients, and proprietary technologies including biotechnology, encapsulation, olfactory science and taste modulation. Firmenich had an annual turnover of 3.9 billion Swiss Francs at end June 2020. More information about Firmenich is available at www.firmenich.com