Pepperidge Farm Innovation Centre

Pepperidge Farm manufactures bakery products, cookies, crackers and frozen foods in the US. It is a subsidiary of the Campbell Soup Company, a leading producer of snack food and meal products.

Campbell Soup Company announced the establishment of a new food innovation centre in Norwalk in Connecticut, US, in July 2011. The innovation centre, which is located at Pepperidge Farm’s headquarters at 595 Westport Avenue, was officially opened in September 2012 with an investment of more than $30m.

The two-floor building has been named as the Patrick J. Callaghan Innovation Center in honour of Pepperidge Farm’s former president, who retired in August 2012.

Pepperidge Farm innovation centre

The innovation centre is focused on driving innovation and creation of new products. It features a pilot plant furnished with product development and testing lines, kitchens for researching and experimenting new cuisines, scientific labs and meeting rooms.

With its new facility, Campbell intends to promote collaboration and creativity by combining the company’s expertise in culinary and baking with consumer preferences as understood by the company. The company also aims to achieve cost-effective research and testing of new products.

Expansion of the food manufacturer’s product development facilities

The investment stems from the company’s strategy of accelerating innovation across its portfolio of bakery and snack products. The baking and snacking segment is strategically important to Campbell as it is the second-largest reporting segment of the company.

The segment includes the Pepperidge Farm brand and the Arnott’s biscuit brand. The Arnott’s brand biscuits are marketed in Australia and Asia Pacific.

The innovation centre has a built up area of 34,000ft². The existing facilities at the Pepperidge Farm’s headquarters have also been upgraded as part of the project.

The project has increased the office and research and development space at the Pepperidge Farm’s headquarters to about 115,000ft².

Design of the Pepperidge Farm innovation centre

The innovation centre was designed by Springfield-based The Dennis Group and Stamford-based Perkins Eastman. The building was constructed as an extension to the headquarters of Pepperidge Farm.

It features a curved glass exterior and is connected to the headquarters by an internal walkway. The walkway is enclosed with glass, providing views of the research floor.

The company aims to obtain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) green building certification for the facility. The building is, therefore, furnished with a number of environmentally-friendly features such as use of energy efficient technologies, water conservation and day-light harvesting techniques, plus recycled building materials in the construction.

Construction of the Campbell Soup Company subsidiary’s new innovation centre

Ground was broken for the construction of the facility in September 2011, approximately three months after the project announcement.

Campbell Soup Company produces soups, sauces, baked snacks and beverages. It owns leading portfolio of brands including Campbell’s, Pepperidge Farm, Arnott’s and V8.

Pepperidge Farm was founded in 1937 and has since then been based on innovation for fuelling its growth. The popular brands of Pepperidge Farm include Sausalito, Milano cookies and Goldfish crackers.

The company produces in excess of 50 varieties of fresh baked breads. It has been part of Campbell Soup Company since 1961.

The Global Baking and Snacking segment, a high growth segment for the company, recorded 17% growth in sales in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2011.