Nestle has opened its first R&D facility in India, its latest move to have more sites looking at innovation located in emerging markets.
The company has invested CHF50m (US$52.7m) in the centre, which is located in Manesar close to Nestle’s local headquarters in Gurgaon, south-west of the capital New Delhi.
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Nestle said the facility will focus on developing affordable products for consumers on lower incomes. It will focus on categories including dairy and noodles.
The world’s largest food company calls items for low-income shoppers “popularly positioned products”, which it sells throughout a number of emerging markets. PPP lines have also appeared in more developed countries as the downturn has hit incomes.
“Our R&D centre in India will help us gain important insights into local consumers’ eating habits and taste preferences, as well as greater expertise in using and processing local ingredients to develop products for India and beyond,” CEO Paul Bulcke said. “As with all Nestlé’s R&D centres, it will be part of our worldwide R&D network, enabling us to acquire local knowledge and use it on a global scale,” Mr Bulcke added.”
Last month, Nestle announced plans to double the number of R&D sites it has in China to four.
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