Mars Chocolate opens R&D centre in UK

Mars Chocolate has opened a new GBP 6 m R&D facility in Slough, featuring new laboratories and a pilot production line. The centre will be responsible for developing new products and packaging for the UK, as well as markets as far afield as China. Bringing together several separate facilities in a single site, the new facility would enable the 100-strong R&D team to work collaboratively with teams in other departments, Mars said.

The centre also contains new equipment that Mars Chocolate innovation director Geoff Bryant said would let it do things that were previously impossible. “For example, the pilot production line will allow us to start with a single prototype and scale right up,” said Bryant. “We didn’t have the space before.” The facilities will also be used to help Mars Chocolate deliver on its pledges under the Responsibility Deal. Bryant said better aeration of chocolate is one of the avenues it is pursuing to reducing calorie and fat content.

www.mars.com