29 Dec 2025
Progress in food innovation doesn’t happen by chance. It is driven by science, long-term investment, and collaboration, guided by a shared purpose: creating better food for people and the planet. At Puratos, open innovation is not a concept; it is a mindset embedded in how we research, develop, and co-create with partners across the global food ecosystem.
Why Open Innovation Is Essential for the Food Industry
The challenges facing today’s food industry, from sustainability and nutrition to evolving consumer expectations, are increasingly complex. Addressing them requires more than incremental change.
That’s why Puratos firmly believes in Open Innovation: actively collaborating with customers, researchers, universities, start-ups, suppliers, and partners to accelerate meaningful progress. By combining diverse perspectives with deep scientific expertise, we transform ideas into solutions that create real value.
Investing Above the Benchmark in Research & Development
Innovation requires long-term commitment. Puratos invests 2.1% of its revenue in Research & Development, well above industry benchmarks. This sustained investment enables both upstream research and applied innovation that can be scaled globally.
Our global R&D ecosystem includes:
- 1,300+ R&D Food Scientists and Technical Advisors
- 85 R&D laboratories worldwide
- A centralized Belgium-based Research Headquarters, bringing together diverse international talent
This foundation ensures that innovation at Puratos is both scientifically rigorous and market-relevant.
120+ Innovation Centers: Co-Creating with Customers Worldwide
A cornerstone of open innovation at Puratos is our network of 120+ Innovation Centers worldwide. These centers are crucial to close collaboration with customers, acting as hands-on environments where ideas are explored, tested, and transformed into practical solutions.
In our Innovation Centers, customers can:
- Co-create alongside Puratos experts
- Translate consumer insights into tangible applications
- Test new ingredients, technologies, and processes
- Accelerate time-to-market through real-world experimentation
By working side by side with customers, innovation becomes faster, more relevant, and deeply connected to real needs.
Listening, Anticipating and Leading Through Upstream Research
While we listen closely to consumers and customers for inspiration, we also invest heavily in upstream research. True innovation often means anticipating needs that have not yet been clearly expressed.
As Henry Ford famously said:
“If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said ‘faster horses.’”
Our researchers focus on understanding the mechanisms by which ingredients, packaging, and processing impact texture, taste, and shelf life. At the same time, they explore new ingredients, packaging solutions, and processing technologies that have the potential to reshape the food industry.
Open Innovation Through Scientific and Industrial Partnerships
Puratos’s Upstream Research team works through an open innovation approach, collaborating with:
- Universities and research institutes
- Suppliers and technology partners
- Start-ups and innovation ecosystems
By ensuring that our partnerships are well-diversified, long-term, and secure, we stay at the forefront of scientific and technological progress, while reducing risk and increasing speed to innovation.
Sparkalis: Accelerating FoodTech Innovation
To further strengthen our open innovation ecosystem, Puratos created Sparkalis, our dedicated FoodTech venture arm. Sparkalis focuses on identifying, investing in, and partnering with start-ups that bring breakthrough technologies and entrepreneurial agility to the food industry.
By connecting scientific expertise with entrepreneurial thinking, Sparkalis enables us to bring truly unique and differentiated technologies to our customers, first and fast. These collaborations allow Puratos to explore new technological pathways, accelerate development cycles, and translate promising innovations into scalable, market-ready solutions.
Sparkalis plays a key role in bridging early-stage innovation with Puratos’s scale and scientific expertise, turning bold ideas into tangible impact across bakery, patisserie, and chocolate.
Leading Innovation in Bakery, Patisserie and Chocolate
Puratos aims to lead innovation in Bakery, Patisserie and Chocolate, driven by the belief that leadership requires the right mindset, investments, and tools. This includes investing in:
- Advanced data management
- Semantic and Generative AI and predictive modelling
- Digital tools that enhance product development and customer collaboration
These capabilities help identify new opportunities, enable disruptive innovation, and set new standards across the industry.
Innovating for Sustainability and Food Security
Innovation is essential to addressing global challenges such as food security, sustainability, and climate impact. Through open innovation, Puratos advances:
- Sustainable and responsible sourcing
- Plant-based and alternative solutions
- Cleaner-label and more natural solutions
- Fermentation-based innovations
- Local sourcing and resilient supply chains
By combining science, collaboration, and purpose, we develop solutions that support a more sustainable future for food.
Building the Future of Food, Together
At Puratos, we believe that open innovation is crucial. By investing in people, partnerships, and science, and by collaborating closely with customers through our Innovation Centers, we turn shared ambition into lasting impact.
By partnering with universities, start-ups, suppliers, and customers, we build a trusted network of innovators capable of addressing both today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities.
