Sweet innovation at chocolate factory

THE fictional story of Charlie Bucket has sparked the curiosity of generations of children, introducing them to a chocolate factory that’s a ‘world of pure imagination.’

While the Mars Wrigley’s manufacturing facility in Ballarat doesn’t employ any Oompa Loompas, it does have a large staff of local people including Salil Tipre, a senior scientist in product development.

In this real chocolate factory in 2022, which makes Mars, Milky Way and Snickers bars amongst many other sweet treats, Mr Tipre said imagination continues to be a big part of his daily job bringing “new product ideas to life.”

“As a scientist, my role is to provide technical leadership for new product development to ensure we can continue to innovate products locally that meet the demands of our consumers,” he said.

“A typical day involves uncovering insights to inspire the development of new recipes and prototypes which are then brought to market.

“I’m very fortunate to work with a very talented cross-functional team, with associates working across research and development, commercial, engineering, and supply departments.”

But Mr Tipre’s favourite bit about working at the factory is getting to create brand-new and innovative treats that chocolate-lovers across Australia and the broader Asian region can tuck in to.

“The most enjoyable aspect of my job is getting to work on developing new and exciting flavour combinations.

“We all know how exciting it is to try a delicious new product for the first time, and I love that I’m able to bring this experience to life for so many Australians, all from our factory in Ballarat,” he said.

“I’m incredibly appreciative that I get to work with such a talented and driven group of associates and in a business that empowers us to continue pushing boundaries and creating innovative new products.”

Speaking of innovation, Mr Tipre and his team at the Ballarat factory have recently led the development of a sweet and salty product for the Asian region that might just make cinema goers smile.

“Through our research and listening to our consumers, we identified that Aussies love mixing Maltesers and popcorn at the movies for the ultimate screen-time snack.

“We embarked on making that movie experience more captivating, accessible, and convenient. We started by forming a project team at our Ballarat factory, first to develop the perfect popcorn flavour that matches well with our Maltesers.”

Mr Tipre said achieving the perfect taste and aroma balance of popcorn, chocolate and malt was tricky, but an undeniably joyful and delicious project.

“Getting the right popcorn flavour profile and at the correct intensity was technically challenging.

“Our Ballarat associates spent considerable time taste-testing a number of different iterations, which was quite a fun job, and provided robust feedback on likes and dislikes,” he said.

“It’s a particularly rewarding experience knowing that we are driving this innovation right from our regional Ballarat factory.”