Tetra Pak opens new powder product development centre in France
Tetra Pak’s new powder development centre aims to accelerate product innovation, testing, and scale-up for global food and beverage manufacturers.
FRANCE – Tetra Pak has officially inaugurated its Product Development Centre (PDC) for Powder Process and Technology in Cholet, France, establishing a dedicated hub to support food and beverage manufacturers in accelerating the development and scale-up of powder-based products.
The facility is positioned to enhance producers’ innovation capabilities at a time of rising demand for fortified beverages, specialised nutrition, and protein-rich formulations.
Covering 340m², the new centre houses a fully operational pilot plant equipped with modular production lines and advanced powder-processing technologies. It also includes a specialised testing laboratory designed to strengthen quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and process optimisation.
These features enable customers to replicate industrial production conditions, test formulations, and refine processes prior to full-scale manufacturing. By doing so, producers can significantly reduce development risks, minimise waste, and shorten time-to-market.
Charles Brand, executive vice president for processing solutions and equipment at Tetra Pak, noted that manufacturers require continuous innovation, rapid scale-up capabilities, and dependable execution. He stated that the new PDC is built to support these needs.
Francois-Xavier Barbey, business stream director for powder process and technologies, added that the facility provides manufacturers with advantages in reducing product losses, maintaining product quality during complex formulations, and enhancing overall development efficiency.
The Cholet PDC forms part of Tetra Pak’s broader global development centre network, linking with other innovation sites to support end-to-end product creation. Through this ecosystem, customers can experiment with recipes, refine product identities, and strengthen market-entry strategies with expert support.
The centre also offers remote livestreaming of pilot trials and detailed reporting to extend its services to global partners.
With more than 6,000 powder samples and a wide range of analytical instruments, the laboratory accommodates diverse product categories, including dairy powders, beverages, ice cream, whey protein, and functional nutrition.
Manufacturers working with sensitive or high-value ingredients can benefit from realistic trial conditions that help prevent costly production interruptions and improve data-driven scale-up decisions.
The centre additionally incorporates technologies that support resource efficiency, such as the Tetra Pak Air Jet Cleaning System for Powder and the scalable Production Control Ignition User Interface. These systems are designed to enhance material usage, production flexibility, and operational responsiveness.
Earlier in the month, the company introduced its Automation and Digitalization portfolio, known as Tetra Pak Factory OS, which integrates data from various factory assets into a unified real-time dashboard.
This system enables producers to monitor performance across equipment regardless of age or origin, further supporting modernisation efforts within the industry.
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