Tetra Pak primes new French powder development centre to accelerate scale-up

Product Development Centre ribbon cutting

Tetra Pak has officially opened its new Product Development Centre (PDC) for Powder Process and Technology in Cholet, France — an advanced facility designed to give food and beverage manufacturers a decisive edge in scaling up powder-formulated products.

With demand surging for fortified drinks, specialised nutrition, and protein-based formulations, the new PDC offers a high-impact solution for producers seeking speed, precision, and confidence in their innovation pipeline.

Product Development Centre, Cholet, France

Spanning 340m², the centre features a fully equipped pilot plant with modular production lines and cutting-edge powder-handling technologies, alongside a dedicated testing laboratory for quality assurance, compliance, and process optimisation. Together, these assets allow manufacturers to simulate full-scale production conditions, validate recipes, and optimise processes before committing to industrial rollout — dramatically reducing risk, cost, and time-to-market.

From raw material characterisation and formulation to pilot-scale trials and commercial scale-up, the Cholet PDC supports every stage of product development. Its modular setup enables tailored trials for each customer, while remote livestreaming and detailed post-trial reporting extend access globally. With over 6,000 powder samples and specialist instruments, the lab supports deep analysis across categories including dairy, beverages, ice cream, whey protein, and functional nutrition.

For producers working with sensitive or high-value ingredients, the ability to trial under near-identical production conditions is a game-changer. It minimises waste, prevents costly downtime, and ensures that scale-up decisions are backed by robust data.

The centre also supports sustainability goals through resource-efficient processing and technologies like the Tetra Pak Air Jet Cleaning System for Powder and the scalable Production Control Ignition User Interface — tools that enhance ingredient use and operational responsiveness.

Charles Brand, executive vice president for processing solutions & equipment at Tetra Pak, said: “For producers, this means constant innovation, rapid scale-up and flawless execution. Our new PDC is designed to help them achieve exactly that.”

Francois-Xavier Barbey, business stream director for powder process and Technologies, added: “Whether reducing product loss, preserving quality in sensitive formulations or speeding up time-to-market, the PDC gives powder producers a clear competitive edge.”

As part of Tetra Pak’s global product development centre ecosystem, the Cholet facility links with other innovation hubs, enabling producers to trial formulations, refine product identity, and build go-to-market strategies with confidence.