Bel's Research, Innovation and Development (RID) team creates tomorrow's healthy and responsible food offerings and experiences on the dairy and plant-based markets, by addressing consumer expectations, consumption habits and environmental issues.
The Research, Innovation and Development (RID) team is made up of 180 employees with a wide range of expertise and knowledge, located in France, Portugal, Japan and the United States.
Take a look at the different roles within the team …
Development Manager
Developing new recipes, improving the products’ texture, creating new packaging to provide a healthier and more responsible experience in line with consumers’ expectations, are all part of the Development team’s mission.
User Experience and Sensory Manager
The User Experience & Sensory team is in charge of ensuring consumer experience is properly taken into account throughout the development of a project.
Pilot Trial Manager
With its scientific and technical expertise, the Pilot team ensures that the innovations can be industrialized at every stage of a project.
Innovation, strategy and performance
The Strategic Innovation team works hand-in-hand with our Marketing teams to imagine innovations. It defines the Group’s innovation strategy, ensures developments’ relevance, innovations’ profitability, and products’ acceptability by consumers and distributors.
Packaging Transformation
The Packaging Transformation team works to make our packaging more responsible, by considering consumers’ uses, but also the graphic identities of our brands.
Research
The Research teams support the RID teams by providing them with a strong scientific base in the dairy, plant or packaging fields and by anticipating the innovations of tomorrow
Each project of the RID team is designed following five key stages of development. Through the example of the Nurishh Coeur fleuri, discover how our products are conceptualized and developed.
“In partnership with Lesaffre, Bel and Toulouse Biotechnology Institute, and via its MetaToul platform, Abolis Biotechnologies launched the MetaPath project to better manage the activity of micro-organisms used in the food fermentation process. By working with multidisciplinary experts new knowledge and skills are developed, new technologies are accessed; and this, in keeping with a “startup” spirit where agility and trust are watchwords.”
Annabelle Fernandez, Bio Engineering Research Engineer for MetaPath project – Bel
The projects carried out by RID aim to meet the Group’s mission – to offer healthier and more responsible food for all – by focusing on two priorities: the development of plant-based products, ranges and the design of responsible packaging.
Plant-based products
We want to contribute to making plant-based food more accessible and want to reach a balance between our dairy and plant-based offers (including fruits).
To do this, we are developing plant-based versions of our emblematic brands and in 2021 we launched our first 100% plant-based brand: Nurishh.
Measure and limit the impacts of packaging on the environment”
The RID teams work hand in hand with the CSR teams to imagine packaging contributing to a circular economy by applying its “5Rs”strategy: “Refuse” unnecessary elements; “Reduce” the use of materials; “Reuse” as much as possible; “Restore” resources by using certified renewable materials; “Recycle” packaging.
Thus, we are committed to achieving 100% of our packaging ready for recycling and/or home composting by 2030.
Bel has partnered with Danone, Lesieur, and Famille Michaud Apiculteurs to launch the Défi Vrac (Bulk Challenge) coalition. Together, we are committed to making bulk accessible and sustainable, especially for semi-liquid, viscous, or spreadable products such as honey, yogurts, spreadable cheeses, or mayonnaises.
While 62%* of French people would like to find more bulk products in stores, we are convinced that we need to co-innovate to develop new alternative consumption patterns and better meet the expectations of our consumers. Understanding the consumer is at the heart of our approach, and innovation is our spearhead. We will develop our knowledge by pooling our technical and human skills, with the ambition of inspiring other actors!
*Observatory of the bulk section 2021 – 4th edition. Win minute, Dauvers Edition”
