Bühler’s Consumer Foods Application Centers help manufacturers develop products, test processes and build practical expertise – from biscuits and wafers to chocolate and bars.
Bringing a new bakery or confectionery product to market requires more than a promising recipe. Ingredients, processing conditions and equipment must work together to deliver the intended taste, texture and appearance consistently. Bühler’s Consumer Foods Application Centers provide an environment where manufacturers can explore these relationships, produce samples and prepare for industrial production without interrupting their own manufacturing operations.
The network combines specialised facilities with experienced food technologists and process experts. Customers can develop new recipes, assess raw materials, compare technologies and optimise existing products. From initial trials to process definition, the emphasis is on practical results that support decisions about product development and production.
Dedicated expertise across product categories
At the Biscuit Innovation Center in Skovlunde, Denmark, two full-scale industrial production lines support trials for crackers, biscuits, cookies and cakes. Manufacturers can investigate dough preparation, forming and baking, using equipment for laminating, rotary moulding, depositing, extrusion and wire-cutting. Together with Bühler’s specialists, they can refine recipes and baking profiles, evaluate product quality and produce samples for market testing.
In Leobendorf, Austria, the new Wafer & Mixing Innovation Center will open in November 2026, bringing together expertise in wafer production, mixing and aeration. Its newly equipped wet and dry laboratories and broad range of equipment will provide a versatile environment for product development and testing.
Building on these combined capabilities, customers will be able to develop products ranging from flat and hollow wafers, waffles and wafer sticks to aerated chocolate, marshmallows, creams, sugar-based confectionery and dairy products. They can explore new product ideas, optimise recipes and investigate how ingredients and processing conditions influence structure, consistency and product quality.
At the Confectionery Moulding Application Center in Reichshof, Germany, the focus is on developing chocolate products and evaluating moulding processes. Trial capabilities include one-shot depositing, cold stamping and small-batch production. Manufacturers can investigate the interaction between chocolate, fillings, inclusions and process settings, creating prototypes and assessing suitable production methods.
The Food Creation Center in Uzwil, Switzerland, brings together expertise across the Consumer Foods segment. Its capabilities cover bars, wafers, biscuits, chocolate and bakery products, supporting projects from ideation and rapid prototyping through product and process development. Connections to Bühler’s wider Research and Training Centers for raw materials and intermediate products help customers explore combinations across traditional product categories.
Practical support for evolving recipes
These facilities also provide a setting for exploring free-from, high-protein and fibre-enriched mixes. Customers can assess how alternative ingredients affect processing and finished-product characteristics, then adapt recipes and process parameters accordingly. Nutritional goals become part of a broader development task that also considers flavour, texture and production feasibility.
Training complements the trial work. Standard courses and customised sessions combine theory with hands-on experience, helping teams understand ingredient functionality, equipment operation and process optimisation.
Whether refining an established biscuit or developing a new filled wafer or protein bar, manufacturers gain access to equipment, analytical support and expertise in one connected network. The result is a firmer foundation for translating product ideas into repeatable production.
