Gatorade Previews High-Tech R&D Center
Gatorade previewed the opening of its new state-of-the-art R&D facility, the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI).
The new facility, located in Valhalla, NY, will provide the opportunity for innovation and product development across all Gatorade Portfolio brands, including Gatorade, Fast Twitch, Propel, EVOLVE, and Muscle Milk, that provide athletes or exercisers the resources they need for all-day nutrition and the energy and hydration required to take their fitness to the next level.
The world-class facility within PepsiCo’s Global Beverage R&D Center of Excellence campus includes an environmental chamber to monitor athletes’ response to hot and humid weather conditions and muscle performance, biochemistry, metabolism, body composition, and cognitive performance testing.
“The first step in product creation has and will always be athlete insights, and the critical work the team is doing across our GSSI labs helps bring those insights to the forefront of our innovation pipeline,” said Dr. Lindsay Baker, R&D director at GSSI, in a statement. Over the past three decades, GSSI has worked with thousands of professional and amateur athletes at PepsiCo R&D labs nationwide to collect data surrounding nutrition science and hydration to drive future product innovation.
Gatorades first foray into the tablet market, Gatorade Zero and Propel Immune System Support, were developed at the R&D Center in Valhalla and will release later this month. This convenient and sustainably-minded product will mark the first cross-portfolio launch since the PepsiCo sport and fitness brands unified under the Gatorade Portfolio.
"With solutions in ready-to-drink, powder, supplement and now tablet form, we're advancing our business forward by reaching more athletes and exercisers on more occasions," said Marissa Pines, senior marketing director at Gatorade.
Many in the consumer goods market are investing in new state-of-the-art R&D facilities, with Mondelēz International announcing investment in a new $50 million global R&D innovation center and L’Oreal announcing a $140 million research and innovation center that will be fully operational in 2024.
