Tailoring To Local Tastes

Solina is a global company with extensive local connections. Forging close ties to the markets we serve, enables our teams to create products customised to the specific taste preferences of different countries and consumer segments. The depth of knowledge of local taste preferences enables Solina to define what a customer needs to succeed in a particular market.

We understand the differences between the taste profiles of a French and Turkish tomato soup or a German and Polish cooked sausage, and how to adapt recipes to deliver products tailored to each market. Some adaptations are simple, such as altering salt levels to account for preferences in Asia and Europe, but other changes are more involved and have knock-on effects.

Balancing All The Elements

Taste, while critical to food, cannot be viewed in isolation from other factors. The interplay of all the elements and Solina’s mastery of them is exemplified by the differences between shawarma in Germany, Lebanon and Turkey. Equipped with deep local knowledge, we understand that the use of lemon juice is a defining characteristic of shawarma in Lebanon. Crucially, we also know the impact lemon has on texture and can adapt accordingly, for example by using a flavour rather than a juice.

Changes to taste can also affect yield, nutrition and other factors. The intertwined nature of all the elements results in a balancing act. Solina’s extensive experience enables our teams to foresee when a change to improve taste will negatively affect another key variable such as yield and ultimately to create products that deliver on every dimension.