PANDAAN, INDONESIA – Cargill has a new blending facility in Pandaan to help serve sugar confectionery customers and consumers in Asia. The company’s first blending facility in Southeast Asia will enhance the company’s work in starches, sweeteners and texturizers capabilities and offerings.

Proprietary research from Cargill’s 2024 TrendTracker showed 40% of consumers in the Asia-Pacific region prioritize texture in their food and beverage choices, said Francesca Kleemans, managing director, food solutions in Southeast Asia.

“When it comes to sugar confectionery products, Asian consumers show a preference for a diversity of textures, from hard candies and chewy gummies to popping and fizzy sweets,” she said. “Serving the Asia-Pacific region, with Indonesia as one of the key markets, our new state-of-art blending facility allows Cargill to develop Asia-for-Asia specialty solutions, combining modified starches, sweeteners, pectin and carrageenan to help create exciting sugar confectionery treats with different textures for Asian consumers. Further bolstered by our insight-led innovation and formulation expertise, we are able to support our customers in meeting unique market needs and diverse consumer demands across Asia, such as for nature-derived ingredients and halal requirements,”