Firmenich joins Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley to accelerate sustainable food innovation

Geneva, November 23rd, 2020 -

Firmenich, the world’s largest privately owned fragrance and taste company, is proud to announce that it has joined the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley (SFNV), a global reference in sustainable food and nutrition innovation. Founded in 2020 by Nestlé, EPFL, Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne and the Swiss Canton of Vaud, SFNV provides a rich eco-system of expertise and cutting-edge science to address the major global food and nutrition challenges of the future. Bérangère Magarinos-Ruchat, Firmenich’s Chief Sustainability Officer, has been appointed to the Executive Commitee of the new network.

“SFNV’s mission is very much aligned with Firmenich’s Purpose to create positive emotions and enhance wellbeing,” Emmanuel Butstraen, Firmenich Taste & Beyond President, said. “We are proud to contribute to the organization’s key objectives through our understanding of the food ecosystem, innovation capabilities and expertise in protein alternatives, in order to advance global nutrition and food chain security.”

“Switzerland is home to a unique innovation ecosystem in food and nutrition and we are looking forward to further partnering with leading companies, start-ups, research institutes and public authorities to accelerate the future of foods,” said Magarinos-Ruchat. “Many sectors are involved in food and nutrition innovation in Switzerland, bringing them together under a shared vision will create global opportunities for sustainable food innovation”.

"It is a pleasure and a privilege to welcome Firmenich in the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley,” said Martin Vetterli, President of EPFL, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. “The challenges that mankind faces in the coming decades with regard to food are significant, and with its deep-rooted tradition of sustainability and world-class research, Firmenich will thus undoubtedly bring a lot of value in our collective efforts.”

Switzerland is anchored in agricultural tradition and has an unmatched density of world leading companies and scientific institutions, as well as a large number of start-ups in areas such as food, nutrition, and life sciences. The Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley stretches from Geneva to Zürich.
Bringing together key players, including local authorities, companies, universities and associations, the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley will focus on areas such as nutrition, life sciences, alternative proteins, packaging science, waste management and precision agriculture.

• SWISS FOOD & NUTRITION VALLEY

About Firmenich

Firmenich is the world’s largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895 and has been family-owned for 125 years. Firmenich is a leading business-to-business company specialized in the research, creation, manufacture and sale of perfumes, flavors and ingredients. Renowned for its world-class research and creativity, as well as its leadership in sustainability, Firmenich offers its customers superior innovation in formulation, a broad and high-quality palette of ingredients, and proprietary technologies including biotechnology, encapsulation, olfactory science and taste modulation. Firmenich had an annual turnover of 3.9 billion Swiss Francs at end June 2020. More information about Firmenich is available at www.firmenich.com.