Between them, they form the beating heart of MANE’s headquarters at Le Bar-sur-Loup. Based at the Notre-Dame site, the Fragrance Research Centre and the Flavour Research and Development Centre are harnessing the very latest in technology and innovation.
Celebrating its 25th birthday this year, the Fragrance Research Centre is home to professionals developing fragrances for the consumer goods sector, which includes home care, fabric care, personal care and hair care segments. “The teams in the headquarters are working for a diverse group of clients, from international groups to local players,” says Zalfa Al Achkar, Deputy Director, Fragrance Creation EMEA. “They are creating fragrances that reflect the trends and preferences we see in market analyses, so that we’re in tune with consumer expectations.”
The facilities are equipped to support the work of MANE’s perfumers, whose creativity plays such an important role in meeting the expectations of clients. Though guided by their personal inspiration, the perfumers are also able to harness the power of technology to develop new fragrances, courtesy of a robotic production machine. “This robot weighs and mixes between 70% and 80% of the ingredients used in our formulas, with the rest of the raw materials being added by our laboratory assistants,” says Zalfa Al Achkar. Once the weighing and mixing process is complete, the concentrated oil is added to a base substance, such as a body cream, shampoo or washing powder, enabling the fragrance’s performance to be assessed.
Project managers are also close by, dealing with customer requests, along with the sensory analysis and consumer insights activities. These involve carrying out tests with the help of external partners to check that fragrances achieve the right levels of performance and meet consumer needs.
Then, the application, innovation, and logistics laboratories are all located near these facilities, ensuring close collaboration between the various teams.
And the innovation does not end there. Over the 25 years since it was built, the Fragrance Research Centre has supported MANE throughout its growth journey. “We set up an on-site hairdressing salon so that we could judge the performance of our shampoos on wet and dry hair,” explains Zalfa Al Achkar. Meanwhile, the sensory evaluation and analysis department now has a set of cubicles for testing the effects of different products, such as scented candles, along with washing machines and driers for assessing the fragrances of washing powders and liquids. And far from the centre resting on its laurels, she adds: “We are already working on the Fragrance Research Centre of the future.” To sustain the Group’s growth, the existing 2,800m2 centre will be extended by a brand-new building comprising offices and test rooms.
The centre is also aligning its product development to meet the emerging needs of the market. “There is a growing demand from clients for sustainable formulations; in other words, products that are either biodegradable or that have a low-carbon footprint.” Embracing technology and sustainability has always been part of MANE’s DNA, along with a commitment to a work environment where people can flourish and pass on their expertise to the next generation.
“At MANE, there is a great diversity of cultures, and we have a very interesting mix of age groups,” highlights Zalfa Al Achkar. “Among the younger generation, we have students from our fragrance school. As soon as they have finished their training, they are able to pass on their know-how to our subsidiaries. At the same time, some of our experienced team members have been with MANE for decades.”
Crafting taste experiences consumers will love
Although MANE’s R&D department has existed ever since the company began, the Flavour Research and Development Centre, located just opposite the Fragrance Research Centre, was opened in 2002. “At the Flavour Research and Development Centre everything we do is devoted to creating great taste and sensorial experiences that consumers will love," explains Jérôme Pointecouteau, VP Flavour Categories & Strategy. “Everything starts with the ingredients, the aromatic raw materials that we combine to reflect the local food culture, taste trends and ethical requirements throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa." The employees of the centre work in four product categories: beverages, dairy and alternatives, confectionery & bakery, and savoury (snacks, meats & alternatives, marinades, etc.). Each is staffed by flavourists, customer project managers and the marketing and consumer insights teams responsible for monitoring consumer expectations.
“The Flavour Research and Development Centre has been instrumental in the growth of MANE, with our R&D capabilities growing from an initial core flavourist team to a much broader range of competences," explains Jérôme Pointecouteau. “We soon brought in an application team with recipe expertise across all the food products that we are enhancing and have added market intelligence and analysis capabilities to identify new products and consumer habits. To further develop our palette of sensorial ingredients, our researchers study the sensory profile and release of aromatic raw materials in different food matrices.”
The cross-functional teams of the Flavour Research and Development Centre are playing an active role in shaping the food and drink systems of the future by contributing to the shift for more sustainable proteins, for example. “Our aim is to support this transition in a positive way by creating the initial desire among consumers and then making it an enjoyable food experience," says Jérôme Pointecouteau. “Encouraging the acceptance of food systems containing alternative proteins is particularly important and challenging when we target populations facing poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition. Our understanding of local food behaviours and culture in emerging and developed markets enables us to design affordable and nutritional food systems that appeal to local consumers.”
MANE’s teams are dealing with a range of such challenges on a daily basis. "And they are doing that in an ultra-dynamic environment, where there’s a constant stream of new ideas coming from inside and outside the company,” says Jérôme Pointecouteau. The teams are inspired by three key values: passion, knowledge, and passing on that know-how to the next generation. Like the Fragrance Research Centre, the Flavour Research and Development Centre has its own school for training the Group's up-and-coming flavourists. Another common feature of the two centres is a commitment to sustainability. “Many of our growth strategies are now using eco-design tools such as Green MotionTM and upcycled ingredients, and we are also helping to extend the shelf life of products to combat food waste,” says Jérôme Pointecouteau, before revealing another plan being prepared. "We're looking to build an extension to the current building...”.