(March 18, 2025) Chicago IL –
Blommer Chocolate Company, a cocoa processor and ingredient chocolate supplier in
North America, expands lab capabilities and opens a new R&D Center located in
downtown Chicago, IL in the Merchandise Mart. The R&D Center will focus on future
development, concept testing, processing & ingredient research, and application
creation.
Mark Okita, COO and President, conveys, “The R&D Center is a place where anyone
can discuss new chocolate ideas with Blommer members, regardless of scale.
Establishing this Center in the Mart, located in downtown Chicago, a city known for its
candy culture, holds significant value. Blommer’s R&D Center will be a sweet
destination for anyone with a sweet tooth.” This 5,000 ft2 expansion, resulting in a
10,000 ft2 R&D Center, comes two years after Blommer moved their HQ offices to the
Merchandise Mart, and one year after the historic Chicago manufacturing plant closed.
The R&D Center is intentionally designed to showcase the rich history of Blommer and
advance the company’s mission to enhance research & development and elevate
creative solutions in compound and chocolate technology. “Blommer Chocolate Company’s new R&D Center is a hub of innovation for future chocolate technology. It
brings together scientists’ passion and creativity, allowing customers to participate in
developing new ideas. This center honors Blommer’s history and paves the way for
next-generation chocolate products, inspiring the industry’s future” says Tomoki
Matsumoto, CEO and Chairman.
The R&D Center’s curated spaces, equipment, and strategic staffing allows for the full
scope of development, from innovative concepts to application, for Blommer Chocolate
customers. The space is also built to be super collaborative, enabling on-site customer
and partner engagements, plus hosting industry community experiences. The new
development labs are outfitted to enable end-to-end processing from chocolate liquor to
finished product application. The equipment replicates Blommer’s manufacturing
production capabilities to aid in product customer sample development, innovation and
new business development, plus adds analytical instrument capability. Additionally, the
expansion allows for more focused customer hospitality and supports employees’
workplace wellbeing with ample room for staffing expansion needs. The new
expansion footprint complements the existing application areas including the hot
kitchen, chocolate kitchen, sensory analysis and ideation spaces.
“This R&D Center was designed with purpose, by scientists, to involve customers in our
creative approach to critical thinking and development of novel concepts. The magic
happens when the ideas come together and their output becomes inspirations for the
future” says Melissa Tisoncik, VP R&D. This expansion will continue to highlight the
Blommer & Fuji experience and will help elevate the brand as well as realize the
Blommer R&D vision: Through thoughtful and proactive collaboration, we will deliver
advanced innovation, impactful technical support, and generate meaningful, creative
solutions to help unlock the full potential of our customers.
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Blommer Chocolate Company is a cocoa processor and ingredient chocolate supplier in
North America. The company provides comprehensive business solutions for domestic
and international customers of all sizes in the confectionery, baking and dairy industries.
Among Blommer’s core competencies are cocoa bean processing, chocolate
manufacturing, commodity risk management, and product and process R&D. The
company is a leader in advancing sustainable cocoa farming as a founding member of
the World Cocoa Foundation and through its privately managed farmer programs in
Cote d’Ivoire and Ecuador. Founded in 1939, Blommer maintains an outstanding
reputation for customer service and quality. For more information about Blommer
Chocolate Company, please visit www.blommer.com.
