The smell and taste of consumer success can be vastly different, depending on the type of Asian consumer you are trying to engage. As Givaudan has discovered, Indonesian consumers associate the light sweetness of tangerines with “orange”. Manila customers, meanwhile, have a strong preference for a specific type of mango.
Getting the scents and tastes just right is critical to transforming a consumer product into a winner. That is why Givaudan, the world’s largest flavour and fragrance company, relies on its Singapore hub to produce thousands of smells and tastes each year that delight Asian consumers’ myriad palates. Supported by a team of almost 600 flavourists, perfumers, commercial and operations staff in Singapore, Givaudan has been steadily expanding its presence here. Its key operations are:
- Singapore Creative Centre and Manufacturing Facility
Opened in 2015, this centre represents Givaudan’s largest global investment of S$100 million. Its functions range from consumer insights research to fragrance evaluation, and manufactured some 20,000 tonnes of flavours and fragrances in 2015. Singapore also offers excellent logistics capabilities, allowing Givaudan to ship its raw materials and products quickly, so that its products can reach the markets faster.
- Perfumery campus
Givaudan’s first-ever global campus outside France trains top-notch perfumers in Asia.
- Fragrance encapsulation centre
Slated to open in 2018, this new 500-square-metre facility will meet the burgeoning demand of consumers in high-growth markets like Asia for innovative ways to deliver their favourite scents within products like fabric and personal care items. It will serve as Givaudan’s Asia manufacturing hub for encapsulated perfumes.