MINNEAPOLIS — Cargill continues to expand its global reach with the opening of a flavor manufacturing plant in Pinghu, China. The facility, which will allow Cargill to serve customers with flavors for beverage, dairy, confectionery and bakery applications, as well as manufacturing and supply options, will complement the company’s Shanghai flavor application laboratory opened in 2007.

Cargill said the new site will join a production facility in Bangalore, India, as well as application centers in Shanghai; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Bangalore, in forming the base from which the company expects to serve the growing Asian market.

“This latest venture demonstrates our commitment to being a worldwide partner for our flavors customers as we now have one or more manufacturing sites in each regional market,” said Peter Michielsen, head of Cargill Flavor Systems. “Crucially, the plant will enable us to react even faster to the needs of our customers, whether local Chinese manufacturers, or global customers with sites in China. It also strengthens our worldwide flavor network where local knowledge becomes global knowledge, especially in terms of sharing expertise or spotting the rise and fall of consumer trends. At Pinghu, in particular, we will apply our knowledge in connecting base raw materials with specialty ingredients such as flavors.

“Our flavor business has a strong competitive advantage. It can — and does — draw upon the extensive knowledge we have built up across our food ingredients portfolio that also includes juices, starches and sweeteners, edible oils, texturizers, malt, cocoa and chocolate. This will enable us to provide original and often unique taste solutions to our customers.”

Cargill said the new plant has been built on the same site as the company’s existing starches and sweeteners plant.