The Entrepreneurial School® cooperates with leading manufacturer in specialty condiments – synergies through transfer of knowledge, joint research, development & innovation.
Everything started with a conversation about good food and seasonings. This was when Katrin Bach, program director at Management Center Innsbruck (MCI) first met Bernhard Burger, head of product development at Develey. The discussion quickly expanded and lead to the question of what actually makes great seasonings. Is it taste, ease of use, a fair retail price, or a manufacturer’s competitive edge based on know-how, expertise and efficiency? Both production and consumption have to be factored into the equation, as well as the entire value chain and the product’s environmental impact.
This is where MCI’s services meet Develey’s demands. MCI’s Master’s Program for Food Technology & Nutrition deals exactly with these issues. The cooperation focuses on analyzing and further developing recipes and processes to produce mustard and mayonnaise. Through this cooperation, Develey gains access to the analytical knowledge of MCI’s researchers as well as their specialized know-how on raw materials, such as mustard seeds. MCI students, on the other hand, benefit from working on real products and the production processes of a leading European company.
Develey is a Bavarian manufacturer of condiments based in Unterhaching, near Munich with a 170-year tradition of pioneering spirit and innovative drive. Its success is built on two pillars: its medium-sized family business structure as well as innovation and growth. The company has become globally renowned for its cooperation with McDonald’s since the early 1970s. In Austria, the most popular Develey brand is Mautner Markhof, which operates as an independent subsidiary. Develey believes in sustainability and “thinking for generations”. It holds the ZNU Standard certification and has been awarded multiple times for its sustainability concept. In Germany, Develey has six locations with a total of 2,000 employees. Develey also has production sites in France, Russia, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Tennessee (USA).
Within the MCI Master’s Program for Food Technology & Nutrition, students acquire profound knowledge on food and nutrition, production technologies and processes. They learn how to identify and characterize nutrition-relevant properties and understand the various effects of different foods. The aim of the program is to empower graduates to contribute substantially to the economic development of companies in the food sector. In the course of their studies, students gain valuable hands-on experience by working on industry and research projects.
MCI program director Katrin Bach considers this cooperation a perfect addition to the Master’s program: “Our students can directly apply their theoretical knowledge to practice while acquainting themselves with a highly interesting medium-sized manufacturing company located right on their doorstep.”
Bernhard Burger, head of product development at Develey, is pleased to have found MCI as a like-minded academic partner: “We immediately got along well with the MCI team and quickly saw that MCI researchers clearly understood our products and processes and were able to seamlessly integrate their knowledge.”
Monika Bauer, head of process development, adds: “What’s exciting and enriching for both sides is that we have been able to accompany several students working on project papers or final theses. We benefit from their findings and meet interesting young people. In turn, they get to work on topical issues that are actually implemented. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”
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