Food ingredients distributor Batory Foods is expanding its Wilmington, Ill., facility with the addition of a new Batory Foods Innovation Center. The 16,000 square-foot space includes a dedicated upstairs lab area and a blending facility, enhancing the company’s capabilities in applications development, custom blending and packaging services. Batory Foods hosted a ribbon-cutting event Sept. 12, 2024, to mark this milestone, providing customers and vendors with an experiential tour of the newly upgraded site.

Left to right: Al Blunt, Batory Food facility manager; Greg Kendro, Fonterra; Jessica Zielinski, Batory Foods VP strategic growth and marketing; Ron Friedman, Batory Foods CEO; Vince Pinnero, Batory Foods president; Devin Chan, Batory Foods SVP specialties portfolio and business development; Chris Kerwood, Batory Foods SVP operational excellence & supply chain, Kevin Perry, Batory Foods director of engineering; Steve Bainbridge, Batory Foods CFO. Courtesy of Batory Foods

Batory’s Wilmington facility underwent substantial upgrades to accommodate the new lab and blending spaces, which offer a range of high-value services, including testing, one-pack solution creation, sourcing well-researched ingredients and comprehensive documentation. Additionally, the site also allows for advanced blending capabilities, including micro dosing and custom labeling, allowing Batory Foods to deliver tailored solutions to meet customer needs. 

As part of this expansion, Batory Foods has made a substantial investment in technical talent, welcoming a new R&D team with over 40 years of cumulative food science experience. The team’s expertise spans various fields, including research and development, quality assurance, safety and operations. 

“The new lab and blending capabilities at our Wilmington facility represent our ongoing commitment to innovation and service excellence. This expansion allows us to enhance our technical and solution-based acumen, delivering even greater value to our customers and partners,” said Jessica Zielinski, vice president of strategic growth and marketing at Batory Foods.

Source: Batory Foods