JPL Flavours, which works with the likes of Krispy Crème and Fox’s Burtons Companies, has opened the doors to its new 75,000 square feet premises in Bromborough, UK, following an £11 million investment.
The facility features automated manufacturing systems, 16 flavour labs, and a soon-to-be-opened digital innovation suite. It also has a dedicated customer lab, where customer NPD teams can collaborate with JPL Flavours’ flavourists and application team.
New senior team members
The new site comes as the flavours firm appoints a new managing director – Tony Havvas – and a director of digital innovation – Dr Jim Mooney.
The duo is poised to assist CEO, Jake Lavelle, to scale the business further as it looks to become ‘the most technologically advanced flavour house’ in the UK.
Havvas joined the business late last year, overseeing the development of the new facility. With a turnover of over £10 million, he will be responsible for ensuring the privately owned company is equipped to meet growing demand for its custom flavours.
New high-tech digital innovation suite
Mooney meanwhile will lead the company’s tech-first strategy, with its digital innovation suite kitted out with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) tools that will allow customers to experience how a particular environment such as a café or fast food outlet can impact taste perceptions.
Before joining JPL Flavours, Mooney led Enterprise Programmes at the University of Liverpool, working with AI specialists, data scientists, IoT experts, and software developers to help businesses adopt new technologies and ideas.
A new director of operations, Patrick Duggan, has also recently joined the company and is set to take over from Cliff Armstrong who retires this year.
“From day one we have been a different kind of flavour house. Founded and run by a flavourist, not a financier, we reinvest around three times the industry average on capital equipment, R&D and technology. Automated manufacturing that features in our new site is almost unheard of in the UK flavour industry,” said Lavelle.
“We’re proud to have become, in less than a decade, the UK’s flavour supplier of choice, trusted by brands like Krispy Crème and Fox’s Burtons Companies. Why do they choose us over other flavour houses? We’re an audacious creator – we make anything, with no restrictions, tailored for each customer.
“We’re also a private, family business with honest business practices and, unusually in this market, we are totally committed to staying independent. We are now even better equipped than ever, with the tech, people and mindset to help save more manufacturers from mediocre taste and service.”
Havvas added: “Jake has built an incredible business in JPL Flavours, full of passionate, talented people who genuinely love what they do. The unique culture, which sets us apart, allows creativity to thrive and productivity to prevail. This, alongside continued investment in technology, including AI, will ensure the business will continue to challenge the flavour industry status quo, offering food and beverage developers a better way.”
The flavour specialists celebrated the opening of its new site with a tour. The day included a charity darts event, which saw JPL donate £22k to local charity, Claire House Children’s Hospice.
