Nestle to chase Chinese palate
The Swiss giant is setting up research centres in Xiamen and Dongguan to focus on beverages and sweets that will appeal to mainlanders
Nestle plans to double the number of its research units in China as the world's largest food group chases double-digit growth in the world's most populated country.
The Swiss food giant, whose global sales have fallen short of expectations so far this year, has promised mainland consumers it would cater to their tastes.
It is planning to produce more China-specific beverages and baked products.
Nestle, which sells 1.5 million ice-creams on the mainland per day, plans to set up two new research and development units in Xiamen, Fujian province and Dongguan, Guangdong province, to learn about Chinese ingredients and local cuisine, chief executive Paul Bulcke said in Shanghai yesterday.
The company has two research units in Beijing and Shanghai.
"We continue to invest in our R&D capability in Asia because we know this brings us closer to local consumers and gives us a greater understanding of the raw materials," said Johannes Baensch, Nestle's global head of research and development.
"It creates proprietary knowledge and focus on growth opportunities for our business."