Sara Lee Opens Product, Packaging Lab

Downers Grove, Ill. -- In an effort to foster greater collaboration between product development and marketing, Sara Lee Corp. has centralized its research and development departments into a new center called "The Kitchens of Sara Lee."The opening of the 120,000-square-foot facility at the company's headquarters is the culmination of two years of construction and marks the first time the company has had all of its North American food and beverage R&D capabilities under one roof. In all, more than 100 people -- chefs, scientists, engineers and packaging designers -- work in the facility. The intention is to bring all the elements that go into making and marketing new products together earlier in the process, says Glenn Ventrell, director of packaging innovation and development for Sara Lee."The company used to be decentralized, [but] you don't get much synergy if you have it that way, particularly on the packaging side," Ventrell says. "Often when you use verbal communication, you get something that you didn't intend. With sketches and designs, you can get everyone on the same page easier."The Kitchens include testing areas that range from cooking facilities to store shelves and full-sized, 7-foot-by-12-foot freezers so marketers can get an idea how the product might look in-store. Similarly, a foodservice area can be fitted to replicate quick-service restaurants or foodservice operations. The facility also has equipment that allows employees to design, print and cut packaging in-house, cutting down significantly on delays that came when those tasks were outsourced or done in different facilities. The Kitchens also house small meat and bakery production facilities to test capabilities and gain a better understanding of how formulas can translate into commercial facilities.The ability to create packaging in-house also makes it easier to have packaging ready for consumer focus group testing. "Virtual [packaging] works well for a lot of things, but with consumers, you have to put it in their hands," Ventrell says. Consumers have not been allowed into the Kitchens to view the products on the simulated store shelves, he says. Rather, the company is continuing its consumer research by observing shopping behaviors and other tactics. However, the ability to move faster has led to faster focus group testing. "At each step in the process, we check back in with consumers," Ventrell says. The investment in the Kitchens has already begun to show some return. When Sara Lee launched its Simple Sweets line of 6-inch frozen pies, customers responded that some of the desserts were not cooking thoroughly, Ventrell says. The pies had been tested -- and the cooking directions written -- for the specific wattage ovens in the company's previous test facility, requiring the company to change the packaging. The new facility has 15 different-sized ovens for greater testing. "The learning curve comes down considerably," Ventrell says. The facility hasn't been open long enough for any products to have made it through the complete Kitchens process, but Ventrell says bringing the teams together is giving the packaging designers more say earlier on, which is what the company intended."We have a couple of products now where packaging will very much take the lead when it comes to development," he says. "Even though we don't know [specifically] what the product is, we know where we want to sell it in the store."

Sara Lee Opens Product, Packaging Lab

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