Irish company Kerry, which specialises in taste and nutrition, has officially opened its Southern Europe Innovation Centre. Located in Barcelona, where the multinational has had a commercial office since 1998, the new centre is part of its ongoing expansion process in the region, encompassing Spain, Portugal, Italy and France.

Opening the new centre will allow Kerry to gain a new portfolio of potential clients for its Barcelona office, as well as its application labs. The hub will operate jointly with the company’s technology centres in Vigo and Granada, and also with its global taste centres of excellence in Grasse (France) and Mozzo (Italy).

Developing new solutions
From its new facilities, Kerry will be able to work closely with clients in Southern Europe to develop solutions within the food and beverage categories, including retail manufacturing and foodservice. The publicly owned Catalan agency Acció mediated in the choice of Barcelona.

Juan Soto, VP and General Manager for Kerry in southern Europe, said, “This investment will help us respond to our customers’ needs in a timely manner, as we’re working closely together to deliver sustainable nutrition to consumers through our globally connected, locally-led approach. Kerry’s strategic investments in the region underscore the emergence of southern Europe as a very important base for food manufacturing and innovation”.

Strategic acquisitions
With a commercial presence since 1998, Kerry began its industrial activity in Spain in September 2016 after acquiring Vendin, which specialises in the manufacture and distribution of beverages for automatic vending machines, with a production plant in Pinto (Madrid). Other strategic investments have followed, such as the acquisition of Hasenosa in September 2018, and Pevesa in November 2019.

Kerry finalised its most recent purchase in Spain to date in July 2021 with the acquisition of Granada-based Biosearch Life, which specialises in biotechnology focused on providing innovative solutions for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and functional food sectors. Over the last four years, Kerry has invested a total of over 200 million euros in Spain.

^{Photo: Kerry}