dsm-firmenich opens global food innovation center in Delft, the Netherlands to accelerate diet transformation

Kaiseraugst (Switzerland), Maastricht (Netherlands), October 2, 2025
 

• The Van Marken Food Innovation Center in Delft will be a key part of dsm-firmenich’s global network of activities and plays a strategic role in the global diet transformation.
• The center is home to dsm-firmenich’s more than €3 billion Taste, Texture & Health business unit and features advanced cheese, bakery, and brewery facilities, equipped with the latest technologies to develop sugar substitutes, lactose-free products, and sustainable plant-based alternatives to fish, meat, and dairy.
• This new facility demonstrates dsm-firmenich’s ongoing commitment to the Biotech Campus Delft and joins recent investments in the Netherlands over the past two years that include a new headquarters in Maastricht.

dsm-firmenich, innovators in nutrition, health, and beauty, today celebrates the inauguration of its Van Marken Food Innovation Center in Delft, the Netherlands. The new center marks a significant milestone in transforming the future of food and is designed to help our customers develop more delicious, nutritious, and sustainable food and beverage solutions.

The building will house the headquarters of dsm-firmenich’s Taste, Texture & Health business unit, as well as an ultra-modern co-creation kitchen, multiple tasting facilities, and cutting-edge application labs for the dairy, bakery, and brewery industries. From plant-based alternatives to sugar reduction solutions, and from superior taste experiences to enhanced nutrition, the center is designed to bring progress to life.

As a model of sustainability, the building will be certified with the highest ‘wellbeing’ and sustainability standards, WELL Platinum and BREEAM Outstanding, ensuring a workspace that prioritizes both human and planetary health. The center will bring together more than 400 talented dsm-firmenich employees.

Patrick Niels, President of the Taste, Texture & Health business unit commented: “The future of food is not just a vision, it's a reality that we're creating right now together with our customers. Our commitment to innovation and sustainability is unparalleled. Strategically positioned at the Dutch Biotech Campus Delft - the global food and biotechnology hotspot - the Van Marken Food Innovation Center underlines our ongoing dedication to contributing to the local environment and to the Netherlands, while honoring our 155-year legacy of food and biotechnology innovation in Delft.

Wouter Kolff, the King’s commissioner in the Province of South-Holland: “dsm-firmenich’s Van Marken Food Innovation Center is of great importance to the province of Zuid-Holland. The center is a driving force in strengthening the knowledge ecosystem and economic growth in the region and beyond. dsm-firmenich is an important employer and a magnet for current and future talent, contributing to the attractiveness of the city of Delft, the province and the Netherlands.”
 

Honoring the past, building the future

dsm-firmenich’s Van Marken Food Innovation Center is named after Jacques van Marken, founder of the Yeast and Spirits Factory. This factory, later known as Gist-Brocades, was acquired by former DSM in 1998. Van Marken was a visionary Delft entrepreneur and social reformer whose holistic approach to business was ahead of its time. This tribute recognizes van Marken as a pioneer, whose business and social values continue to inspire dsm-firmenich today. 

Since 1869, dsm-firmenich and its predecessors in Delft have driven food innovations that have become part of everyday life, including healthy, tasty, sustainable food and drinks with reduced sugar and salt; natural antifungal preservatives to prevent spoilage; and enzymes that enable millions of people with lactose intolerance to enjoy dairy products.
 

Note to editors

Images of the Van Marken Food Innovation Center and the opening ceremony are available here.