Delicious dairy innovations coming soon to Sri Lankans’ out-of-home dining experience

A toast at the launch of Sri Lanka’s first dairy innovation kitchen by Anchor Food Professionals with Director Global Foodservice Grant Watson (3rd from right) and Sri Lanka’s Chefs Guild President Chef Gerard Mendis (4th from right), Also present (from left): Associate Director Foodservice, Sri Lanka and Indian Subcontinent Kumar De Silva, Fonterra Foodservice Chef Jaime Aserappa, General Manager Finance, Sri Lanka and Indian Subcontinent Janaka Gallage, Regional Foodservice Director Stanley Goh, Managing Director Fonterra Brands, Sri Lanka and Indian Subcontinent Sunil Sethi and Director Emerging Markets and Foodservice Sathish Karunakaran

Foodies are set to receive a delicious boost to their out-of-home dining experience, with the opening of Sri Lanka’s first dairy innovation kitchen for the food service industry.

With increased urbanisation and more Sri Lankans eating out of home, Colombo, a city with more than two million people, is seeing new international hotel chains, restaurants, bakeries and other food outlets spring up around the city. 

To cater to the growing interest in out-of-home dining, Fonterra’s foodservice business, Anchor Food Professionals, has opened an innovation kitchen to trial new dairy products and work with chefs to develop new recipes and flavours that suit the tastes of Sri Lankan consumers.

Fonterra’s Global Director of Food service Grant Watson, who officially opened the innovation kitchen said people around the world and here in Sri Lanka are dining out more often, but with more choice than ever before it’s important that the industry focuses on creating an experience that really stands out. 

“People are looking to tryinteresting and delicious foods, sample new tastes and flavours and have that authentic experience. That’s why with so many options available, innovation and high quality ingredients are key areas thatthe industry needs to focus on, making today’s opening of our innovation kitchen an important step for our foodservice business.” 

“Dairy is both a highly nutritious ‘super-food’ as well as a versatile and diverse ingredient that can be used to delight customers through flavour and presentation.

“For example, we’ve worked with chefs to create a delicious and authentic pizza experience through our extra stretch pre-grated mozzarella cheese. While it gives the perfect melt for consumers, it also saves the foodservice industry time and reduces wastage.

“And our cream cheese is versatile enough to be used by pastry chefs in a variety of hot and cold recipes, offering customers cheesecakes with an excellent texture and toppings with rich colour and sharp definition,” he said.

Fonterra Brands Sri Lanka and Indian Subcontinent Managing Director Sunil Sethi said Anchor Food Professionals has partnered with local chefs for many years to help them meet the challenge of providing fresh and nutritious food as fast and efficiently as possible, while keeping costs down and continuing to surprise and delight consumers.

“Adding our dairy innovation kitchen provides added technology and tools that will increase ourability to develop innovative new recipes using our products, train chefs on bakery concepts and develop cost effective solutions to help create more value for our customers,” Sethi said.

Anchor Food Professionals is a market-leading supplier of dairy products for more than 700 hotels, restaurants, fast food outlets, bakeries, catering and food businesses acrossSri Lanka. Its portfolio of innovative dairy solutions includes the famous Anchor butter, cheese, culinary cream and cream cheese.