Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting opens research and innovation centre in Bengaluru to focus on food business

FMCG major Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting has launched its cutting-edge research and innovation centre in Bengaluru on Friday to work on advancing its foods business. The centre will focus on creating and developing new and innovative food products starting in the snacks category which will enhance the brand's overall food product portfolio. Since foraying into the foods business in 2022, the company has made planned acquisitions with Nirapara and Brahmins, in spice and ready-to-eat category, and it aims to solidify its position in its core markets down south. 

It has revealed plans to grow organically with its own food brand in the works, and, keeping that in mind, Wipro said that the R&D facility aims to accelerate innovation and product development for the foods business. 

Talking about the newly-launched research centre, Vineet Agrawal, CEO of Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting and MD, Wipro Enterprises, said, "With the ever-changing consumer preferences and an increasingly competitive market landscape, investing in research and innovation is paramount for us as we step into the highly competitive foods business." 

The company says that its innovation facility is equipped with a cutting-edge centre which includes its own sensory lab, research centre, state-of-the-art kitchen, and a talented team of food scientists, researchers, chefs, and experts. 

The research and innovation unit will collaborate with local universities, research institutions, and technology partners to leverage the latest advancements in the food industry and incorporate sustainable and environmentally responsible practices into product development.

Commenting on the prospects of research and innovation from this centre, Anil Chugh, President – Foods Business, said, "We envision this centre to become a hub for collaborative ideation, where the consumer is at the centre of developing tasty products. We thus have a one of its kind integrated research facility which includes a sensory unit, state of the art kitchen and a high-end analytics lab – all under one roof."