Firmenich, the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, today announced the opening of its new customer experience studio in Guangzhou, continuing its expansion in China. The studio is the company’s first integrated sensorial center in South China, allowing the Group to respond with agility to local consumer and customer demands for tailored fragrance and health-conscious taste solutions in this fast-growing market.
“Bringing the Group’s commercial, marketing and creative teams under one roof in Guangzhou, where they can co-create innovative offerings with our customers, gives us a unique position in the all-important Guangdong province after over 30 years of successful China operations,” said Paul Andersson, President, Firmenich China. “In line with Firmenich China’s Transform 2025 plan that guides our growth strategy, opening a customer-centric facility in Guangzhou reinforces our strong commitment to the country, the economy of Southern China, and the fast-growing customer base in the dynamic South.”
“Firmenich is working with its customers to shape the future of fragrance and the diet transformation of taste and beyond. We are thrilled to see China poised to become a leading consumer market globally, and this center is a key step to work more closely with our local customers,” commented Emmanuel Butstraen, President, Taste & Beyond. “Alongside our data-driven consumer insights tailored to unique local needs, we will be very focused on providing best-in-class innovation for healthier food, including sugar & salt reduction and plant-based products, with authentic and delicious local solutions.”
“The new studio epitomizes Firmenich’s ‘Positive Perfumery’ ethos underscoring our belief that fragrance has an inherent power to improve quality of life in a meaningful way,” said Ilaria Resta, President, Perfumery. “China is our strategic market worldwide, and being able to deliver a diverse range of benefits to an even wider base of consumers is an important element of our China expansion strategy.”
Studio Guangzhou joins Firmenich’s network of world-class manufacturing, innovation, and creation centers in the country, offering a new level of support to the needs of customers in Southern China. The facility will focus on immersing customers in emerging trends, technologies, and smell and taste experiences, grounded in Firmenich’s consumer insights. As a result, customers will be able to co-create tailor-made solutions for the evolving tastes of their consumers, in the form of best-in-class creations and innovations.
At the opening event, guests were invited on a sensory voyage of discovery via the studio’s Diffusion Booth, its Ideation Lab, and on-site evaluation and creation facilities. The interactive, immersive experience enabled the participants to experience Firmenich’s approach to creating highly localized customer journeys, first-hand.
