C.H. Guenther Opens Centre of Excellence in Coventry, UK to Accelerate Bakery Innovation and Support Future Manufacturing Growth Across UK and Europe

C.H. Guenther & Son LLC (“C.H. Guenther” or “CHG”), a leading food manufacturer, has opened a new Centre of Excellence (the “Centre”) at its flagship Coventry bakery, creating a dedicated innovation and customer collaboration hub designed to accelerate the development of premium bakery products across the UK and Europe. The new facility has been designed to support CHG’s customers including leading global quick service restaurants, foodservice operators and retailers as they develop, test and refine new bakery products.

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The purpose-built, 172-square-metre Centre of Excellence brings together a commercial-scale bakery, customer demonstration kitchen, sensory evaluation facilities, innovation suite and dedicated collaboration spaces in one specialized location. Designed to support and accelerate product development from concept through to commercial manufacturing, the Centre uniquely enables customers from across the UK and Europe to work on-site alongside CHG’s commercial, culinary, bakery and technical experts to create bespoke bakery innovations, helping foster an increasingly distinct partnership between supplier and customer.

The opening of the Centre follows the tens of millions of pounds of investment by CHG and its partners into its UK manufacturing capabilities in recent years, including the opening of its £38 million flagship Coventry bakery in 2023, which now produces roughly 72,000 buns per hour, and continued investment across CHG's three UK sites and established nationwide manufacturing network.

As a result of this sustained investment, CHG has enhanced its ability to deliver faster innovation, greater flexibility and more collaborative product development for its customers to meet the increasing demand for premium bakery products, like the fast growing potato bun format, and adapt to changing consumer preferences. All while helping reduce development timelines, accelerate menu innovation and bring the next generation of bakery products to market.

Alongside more premiumization, CHG’s customers are increasingly looking at ways to expand their offerings to include more free-from options and artisan-inspired cues, smaller portion sizes and protein-rich products to better cater to shifting consumer tastes. The Centre allows new concepts focused on these emerging demand trends to be developed in the innovation suite, demonstrated in the customer kitchen, evaluated through sensory testing and validated in the commercial-scale pilot bakery, before progressing to full-scale manufacture. Importantly, the Centre’s location in Coventry means it sits at the heart of one of CHG’s most advanced manufacturing facilities, ensuring there is no friction or time lost between the initial pilot-scale innovation phase and commercial manufacturing.

“CHG’s new Centre of Excellence provides our customers partnership in innovation and developmental testing, ensuring ideas can move seamlessly from concept to commercial production, helping bring exciting new menu ideas to market more quickly, consistently and at scale,” said Paul Tripp, European Vice President and Managing Director for CHG. “This investment is part of CHG’s long-term strategy to strengthen our growing relationships with leading food service brands through innovation, operational excellence and continued investment in our UK and EU manufacturing. We’re delighted by the initial feedback from customers who agree the Centre is industry-leading and a unique one-stop shop for collaborative innovation between CHG and our customers.”

The Centre opening marks another important milestone in CHG’s long-term vision to boost volume growth and expand its innovation presence in the Pan-European region. The UK and Europe remain strategically important markets for the business and the new Centre of Excellence and the role it will play in supporting future manufacturing growth will unlock further opportunities to invest and grow alongside existing customers, build new partnerships and expand the breadth of premium bakery products its experts can bring to market.

About C.H. Guenther & Son

San Antonio-headquartered C.H. Guenther & Son is a leading food manufacturer that has delivered high-quality products and “just baked from scratch” flavor for more than 175 years. Founded in Texas in 1851, the global company employs more than 5,000 people in 32 manufacturing locations in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe. CHG is a leading supplier of value-added grain-based and frozen food products for foodservice clients and select consumer markets. CHG’s well-loved retail brands such as Pioneer, White Wings, Sun-Bird, Mi Rancho and Cuisine Adventures have been included at family meals for generations. CHG is owned by Pritzker Private Capital along with management and other co-investors. Visit us at www.chg.com.

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