Amsterdam-based The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) has opened its new research, design and innovation (RD&I) centre in Bengaluru.

The new Bengaluru RD&I centre will work closely with TMICC’s global design centre in Colworth, U.K., and Regional Innovation hub in Istanbul, Turkey, according to the company. Spanning 13,000 sq. ft., this future-ready facility houses an ice cream science laboratory and a digitally enabled pilot plant.

Located in Whitefield, the centre includes ice cream-making, product and packaging assessment, sensory testing, and a digitally enabled pilot plant with state-of-the-art technologies. It enables faster experimentation across cups, sticks, cones, kulfi, and premium ice cream cakes, while cold-chain and climate testing, 3D packaging prototyping, and transport simulations help ensure innovations are designed for real-world Indian market conditions.

“The new Bengaluru ice cream centre will help us respond faster to evolving consumer preferences, create products that are relevant to Indian tastes and occasions, and continue building a future-ready ice cream business in India,” said Chitrank Goel, deputy managing director, Kwality Walls (India) Limited.

According to Zbigniew Lewicki, chief RD&I officer, The Magnum Ice Cream Company, India is one of the world’s most exciting ice cream markets, with fast-evolving tastes, occasions and expectations. “From product and packaging development to sensory assessment and cold-chain validation, this new centre will play an important role in creating products that are more relevant, more distinctive and more exciting for consumers in India.”