Ohly, supplier of yeast-based ingredients and culinary powders, has opened a Customer Innovation Center just outside of Chicago, one of the most active regions for the U.S. food industry.

The facility is designed to accelerate close collaboration with customers and partners through on-site concepting and solution development across the food and nutrition space. Fully equipped with a modern sampling lab and test kitchen, the new center stocks Ohly’s range of yeast ingredients and specialty powders to facilitate rapid testing and development. 

Ohly’s Customer Innovation Center features commercial equipment to mimic industry processes, including combi convection cooking, frying, meat processing, snack coating, and blast chilling. It provides a space where customers can work with Ohly’s application team on refining tailored recipe solutions and developing new ideas in line with the latest food trends. In addition, there is an analytical lab for testing parameters of ingredients and formulations, along with a suite of meeting and ideation spaces that allow for collaboration, training, and trend presentations.   

“We are committed to working closely with our partners and customers,” says Aaron Rasmussen, head of global applications. “The new Customer Innovation Center is a purpose-built space that delivers an exceptional customer experience. We have assembled everything we need to quickly find the right product so that our partners and customers can bring new and exciting products to the market more efficiently.”

Following a recent ribbon-cutting event, the application team is finalizing preparations to welcome customers and distributors early in 2025.

“We are grateful to Aaron and his dedicated Application Team for making this possible,” says Nancy Zacca, taste & texture platform director. “We look forward to welcoming our valued partners and customers to demonstrate the quality, versatility and impact of our taste improvement and flavor delivery ingredients. We are excited to see the innovative solutions that will emerge from this space.”