Part XI: New innovation center paves way for the development of delicious foods
Sept. 29, 2017 — After establishing its unique position of offering delicious foods through three different food businesses — home delivery, retail grocery and food service — Schwan’s leaders knew they had to develop a foundation for future growth.
Part of the foundation was a $12 million initial investment in a world-class product innovation and development center. The facility, which opened in Marshall, Minnesota, on Nov. 30, 2001, serves as a home base for the development of innovative foods that capture the ever-changing trends and needs of consumers.
Those visiting our product innovation and development center for the first time can sometimes feel like they’re visiting the mythical Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. The facility may not have flowing rivers of chocolate, fizzy-lifting drinks or flying elevators, but the building has many interesting features. Some of those features include stand-up freezers with self-opening doors that simulate the freeze-thaw process in grocery stores, a room dedicated to the study of cooking with microwaves, a 3-D printer and a pilot food production area.
The 81,000-square-foot building also includes world-class test kitchens, specialized laboratories and office space designed to inspire creativity and foster teamwork. Today, more than 80 professionals with a broad range of expertise work from the facility. Teams at the center are experts in culinary arts, food science, food-safety and quality, consumer affairs, consumer research and regulatory affairs.
In recent years, some of the projects our teams have worked on at the facility include new products and formulations, efforts focused our company’s health and wellness commitments as well as collaborative efforts with Schwan’s Chef Collective.
To stay up-to-date on some of the latest initiatives and innovation projects, you can subscribe to our YouTube channel, which often features Schwan’s Chef Collective, new products and recipes.
“Dining through the Decades is a blog series commemorating our company’s 65 years of commitment, quality, growth and service with customers, consumers and employees all across the United States. We invite you to stay tuned throughout the year as we continue to share some of our company’s best stories and highlights of how we got to where we are now.”
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