COBELL has unveiled an upgraded Beverage Centre of Excellence in Exeter, UK. The move is part of a wider strategy by the leading supplier of juice products and taste solutions to the UK beverage industry to partner with British beverage companies via leading-edge innovation and best-in-class service.

A previous significant milestone in this strategy was the acquisition of Cobell by Symrise, a global leader in the flavor and fragrance industry, in July 2017. Nick Russell, Managing Director of Symrise UK, explained: “The UK is the most dynamic beverage market in Europe. To win in this space you need a strong local footprint to provide innovative, fit-for-market solutions quickly and effectively. This new Centre of Excellence further expands our ability to do this.”

The upgraded Centre of Excellence includes a lab area that has doubled in size, state-of-the-art beverage application equipment and a new ambient warehouse creating room for further production enhancement.

The ribbon was officially cut by Nick Russell and Paul Isherwood, Head of Technical & Quality at the SHS Group – a long-time customer of Symrise. During the opening event customers were invited to take a tour of the upgraded facilities, participate in a presentation and roundtable discussion on the future of craft beverages in the UK and taste consumer-validated beverage prototypes that featured Symrise code of nature® solutions.