Tate & Lyle has opened a new Customer Innovation and Collaboration Centre in Jakarta, Indonesia on 27 June.
The inauguration marks an important milestone in Tate & Lyle's growth strategy to expand its presence in the Asia Pacific region, and Indonesia specifically, which it has been supplying into for over a decade.
With the new centre, a combined office and laboratory, Tate & Lyle aims to support healthy living in Indonesia through food science and ingredient solution innovation.
The opening ceremony was attended by senior Tate & Lyle leadership, food and beverage customers, and other industry, nutrition and business leaders.
At its new centre, located in Central Jakarta, Tate & Lyle customers will be supported to create new or revamped, on-trend food and drink products that meet local needs and preferences.
Tate & Lyle’s local technical, commercial and sales experts based at the new location, and the customers they partner with, will continue to be supported by its global specialist network of nutrition, regulation, and application experts.
Nick Hampton, Tate & Lyle Chief Executive, who opened the new centre, said: “We’re excited to open our Customer Innovation and Collaboration Centre in Indonesia today, one of a 17-strong global network of labs. From our new base in Central Jakarta, our local team will help food and drink producers to tap into our leading ingredient portfolio.”
Hampton continued: ”This is Tate & Lyle’s latest investment in Asia Pacific, following our acquisition of a leading stevia business in China in 2020, a tapioca modified food starch manufacturer in Thailand in 2021, and a China-based global leader in prebiotic fibres in 2022.”
Emerging science, including the multi-national research collaborations we establish and drive, shows dietary fibre can provide wider benefits
- Kavita Karnik, Global Head of Nutrition
Tate & Lyle believes that its commitment to supporting healthy eating can contribute to improved health quality of the Indonesian people in general and reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases in society, such as diabetes.
At least 13 percent of the Indonesian population suffers from diabetes, with the potential for a significant increase each year. Also present at today's launch event, Expert Staff of Macroeconomics of the Ministry of Investment/Investment Coordinating Board of the Republic of Indonesia (BKPM), Iwan Suryana.
In regard to the investment opportunities, Iwan said that BKPM has an investment target of IDR 1.4 trillion in 2023, which continues to be pursued with various initiatives including partnerships between large scale corporations and small-scale and medium enterprises.
"We hope that Tate & Lyle can contribute to our country, especially with regards to the food and beverage produced by the industry which can produce healthy food for the community. We support the presence of Tate & Lyle and we really hope that Tate & Lyle becomes a successful in Indonesia,” said Iwan.
Global Head of Nutrition, Regulatory, and Scientific Affairs at Tate & Lyle, Kavita Karnik, M.Med. Sci., PhD, stated: “There is a substantial body of scientific evidence that shows that low and no calorie sweeteners can help people reduce calorie and sugar intake, and manage weight when used as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.”
Karnik continued: “We also use our portfolio of dietary fibres to not only reduce sugar, which they can do very effectively, but to provide additional health benefits such as help with maintaining blood glucose and keeping us feeling fuller for longer, which can help with weight management.
“Emerging science, including the multi-national research collaborations we establish and drive, shows dietary fibre can provide wider benefits, from brain health to metabolic health and reduced risk of non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes, which is why we predict it will be a growing local trend in Indonesia.