PepsiCo recently opened its new $10 million Regional Research & Development (R&D) Hub in Riyadh, inaugurated in the presence of His Excellency Eng. Khalil bin Ibrahim bin Salameh, Vice Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Industrial Affairs in Saudi Arabia. Designed to bring multiple stages of the innovation journey together in one location, the hub gives PepsiCo a permanent base for research and development in the Middle East, anchoring innovation and value-chain localization directly in the region.
Industry sources added that the hub will develop new flavors and packaging that match the preferences of people in the Middle East, including locally inspired seasoning and better-for-you options. The hub will also employ local scientists and engineers who will work alongside teams from PepsiCoโs regional and global R&D network, spanning innovation centers in Brazil, China, Germany, Mexico and the United States.
โPepsiCo has been in the Middle East for over seven decades,โ said Ahmed El Sheikh, CEO of Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan Foods at PepsiCo. โWe know how important it is to people that the brands they love resonate with the tastes and lifestyles they know, whether itโs homegrown flavors, more options, or more convenient formats. This center helps us innovate locally rather than adapt globally.โ
Majed Oushi, R&D Head โ Middle East at PepsiCo, added: โPepsiCoโs R&D agenda has always been about creating the foods that speak to peopleโs tastes, cultures, and aspirations. This new R&D hub will help us to do that quicker than ever. For the first time, we can work directly from what people tell us in real time and under one roof. That means we can move faster and stay closer to what people want, raising the bar for PepsiCoโs innovation teams and driving us to think bigger than ever.โ
The hub will streamline the R&D cycle, connecting different parts of the innovation journey under one roof, allowing teams to develop, test and refine new ideas more quickly. This includes a Consumer Immersion Space featuring 360ยฐ screens and climate controls that can simulate a beach, stadium, movie theatre, or any other setting; a Culinary Kitchen and Ideation Area for on-the-spot recipe refinement; a Focus Group Room for live feedback; a 12-seat Sensory Panel that translates peopleโs experiences into quantitative measures; and a set of labs for quality testing, packaging development, and seasoning.
PepsiCo maintaining momentum in its Middle East markets, building on decades of investment with a growing pipeline of projects across the region. The Regional R&D Hub represents the next phase of the companyโs commitment to supporting local talent and national transformations.
