Symrise will open new facilities in Lagos, the largest city in the West African country on 4 September 2019.
In the laboratories, Symrise experts will work on flavours for beverages, sweet applications and other food, as well as ingredients for cosmetics and fragrances. The company wants to meet the preferences of regional customers as closely as possible with this local expansion.
‘With these application labs, we can create products in the market, for the market,’ says Rudy MacLean, managing director of Symrise South Africa. ‘We can deepen our understanding of the preferences and needs of local people and, where possible, use local raw materials. This will strengthen our presence and underpin our growth goals in the region.’
The new application lab in Nigeria
At the gateway of Africa
The history of Symrise is closely connected with Nigeria. With its Scent & Care and Flavor & Nutrition segments, the company has been active in the African country for more than 30 years.
During this time, Symrise has worked intensively to familiarise itself with the local markets. Beyond this, the local team has built close and lasting relationships with customers. The goal of the new application labs is to incorporate customer preferences and market requirements in product development early on. To achieve this, Symrise will employ three new lab specialists at the facility.
With more than 190 million inhabitants, Nigeria is by far the most populous African nation. The country’s economy is growing rapidly. Nigeria overtook South Africa in 2014 to become the largest economy on the African continent. ‘For us, Nigeria is the gateway to Africa. With this new investment, we are enhancing our site and are intensifying our commitment to the region,’ MacLean concludes.
