PepsiCo has opened its new $10 million Regional Research & Development (R&D) Hub in Riyadh.
Inaugurated in the presence of Eng Khalil bin Ibrahim bin Salameh, Vice Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Industrial Affairs in Saudi Arabia, the hub is designed to bring multiple stages of the innovation journey together in one location.
The hub gives PepsiCo a permanent base for research and development in the Middle East, anchoring innovation and value-chain localisation directly in the region.
New flavours
The hub will develop new flavours and packaging that match the preferences of people in the Middle East, including locally inspired seasoning and better-for-you options. The hub will also employ local scientists and engineers who will work alongside teams from PepsiCo’s regional and global R&D network, spanning innovation centres in Brazil, China, Germany, Mexico and the US.
“PepsiCo has been in the Middle East for over seven decades,” said Ahmed El Sheikh, CEO of Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan Foods at PepsiCo. “We know how important it is to people that the brands they love resonate with the tastes and lifestyles they know, whether it’s homegrown flavors, more options, or more convenient formats. This center helps us innovate locally rather than adapt globally.”
Raising the bar
Majed Oushi, R&D Head – Middle East at PepsiCo, added: “PepsiCo’s R&D agenda has always been about creating the foods that speak to people’s tastes, cultures, and aspirations. This new R&D hub will help us to do that quicker than ever. For the first time, we can work directly from what people tell us in real time and under one roof. That means we can move faster and stay closer to what people want, raising the bar for PepsiCo’s innovation teams and driving us to think bigger than ever.”
The hub will streamline the R&D cycle, connecting different parts of the innovation journey under one roof, allowing teams to develop, test and refine new ideas more quickly.
This includes a Consumer Immersion Space featuring 360° screens and climate controls that can simulate a beach, stadium, movie theatre, or any other setting; a Culinary Kitchen and Ideation Area for on-the-spot recipe refinement; a Focus Group Room for live feedback; a 12-seat Sensory Panel that translates people’s experiences into quantitative measures; and a set of labs for quality testing, packaging development, and seasoning.—TradeArabia News Service
