In a move to facilitate better product development and enhance the customer collaboration experience, the US company Cargill unveils its plans for a “House of Chocolate” complex at its Mouscron/Belgium site. The new complex will be built alongside the company’s existing chocolate production plant. It will include a state-of-the-art chocolate experience centre, a unique pilot plant, a sensory lab and creative workspace for the company’s European R&D team of chocolate engineers.

The 700 m2 complex, an investment of about USD 21 m, will enable customers to experience the convenience of an all-in-one development process, from inspiration, innovation and training, through pilot lab testing, sensory testing and finally, culminating in commercial-scale production – at a single location. At Cargill’s chocolate experience centre, where a total of 40 chocolate developers from all departments will work, customers can gain inspiration from the company’s gourmet chocolate chefs, brainstorm new product concepts and elevate their chocolate knowledge through in-depth training sessions.