The announcement follows a strong financial year for Glanbia Nutritionals, with the company reporting an EBITA pre-exceptional of €69.7m ($78.8m) at HY 2021, up 17.1% constant currency on the prior HY.
Glanbia Nutritionals said new technology and equipment at the facility will support the ideation and creation of ingredient solutions for bars, snacks, beverages, baked goods and more for the European food and drink industry.
The upgraded site aims to encourage more face-to-face customer interactions and meetings, supporting a rapid development process and delivering efficient prototyping, ultimately offering a swift route to market for brands creating new products. Increased customer collaboration will be supported by an investment in new equipment, including bar and beverage processing technology.
According to a study by Glanbia Nutritionals, 33% of UK consumers who snack admit to eating more when working from home. Low calorie and high protein claims in snacks are especially high priorities for millennials and Gen Z, demonstrating the market for healthy snacks is experiencing rapid growth and increased consumer demand.
Glanbia Nutritionals’ CEO Brian Phelan said, “This new, enhanced R&D facility will allow our teams to better deliver innovative solutions to our EMEA-based food and beverage, lifestyle and nutrition brand customers as a key part of our market strategy in the region. It is another fundamental element of our global investment strategy in research & development facilities, as we bring our unique solutions capability to our regional and global customers.”