Chr. Hansen has a good reason to celebrate: beginning in March 2023, their new Customer and Application Center in Pohlheim, Germany, began operations following the conclusion of the first expansion stage.

Pohlheim is the world's largest and most advanced production facility, fully devoted to food cultures for meat and prepared foods, and Chr. Hansen's global center of excellence.

"In 2018, we expanded our production area by 60%. We have now invested another EUR 11 million and are thus setting an additional milestone in the development of our facility here in Pohlheim,” says Charlotte Lorentzen, Plant Director Pohlheim.

A modern pilot plant for all types of processed meats and prepared foods, including four new maturing and cooking chambers, as well as a customer center for innovation days and training courses on all aspects of the use of good bacteria, are all included in the new building's 1,200 m² (1,200 square feet) four-story layout.

Michael Erkes, Sales Director Meat & Prepared Foods, explains: “Fermentation is literally on everyone’s lips because it makes our food tasty, durable, and safe. The close collaboration with our customers is a decisive element to unleash the vast innovation potential of good bacteria. Our new Customer and Application Center provides a fantastic platform to further strengthen this cooperation – both in the classical segment of fermented meat products, as well as in applications such as seafood, hotdogs, or plant-based products.”

The investment's main component is a biosafety class 2 area with a microbiology lab and a pilot plant for meat processing, which will allow researchers to work with pathogenic bacteria like Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica, for example, to conduct storage and processing challenge tests.

“Based on such test series, we research and validate the effect of our food cultures on harmful bacteria that can cause serious foodborne infections. Thus, we can harness the Power of Good Bacteria™ in a targeted way, to make food more durable and safe, based on the natural mechanisms of fermentation. In doing so, we provide an essential contribution towards a more sustainable, resilient, and efficient food system,” adds Tim Martin Seibert, Application Manager Meat & Prepared Foods Pohlheim.

Following the first expansion stage, the refurbishment of an adjacent laboratory wing has just started. Véronique Zuliani, Director Global Application, and her entire team in Pohlheim are looking forward to the full completion of the expansion by the end of 2023: “Going forward, we are very pleased to provide to our customers the next level of service and quality!”