A taste of the future

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters tests new product ideas at sensory center

A keen sense of sight, taste and smell are in high demand at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’ research and development facility in Waterbury Center, a few miles from the company’s village headquarters.

In operation for a little over a year, the expansive LEED-certified office on Suss Drive is home to some of the company’s most innovative thinkers, who work together in a space designed to welcome and inspire creativity.

About 75 professionals with varying academic degrees and global backgrounds now converge daily to keep the company moving forward with ideas that go beyond the average cup of joe.

As vice president of product and process development, Tom Novak helps oversee the office’s team of scientists and product developers, as well as its new sensory test center.

It’s in this science lab-like atmosphere that Green Mountain Coffee Roasters concocts its latest beverage ideas, and then measures their appeal with the help of volunteer tasters.

Diverse offerings

The building on Suss Drive formerly housed offices for German multinational company Süss Microtec, a manufacturer of semiconductors and other microelectronics. The company ceased operations at the site in the summer of 2010 after 30 years of business.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters purchased the 35,000-square-foot building on 53 acres near Route 100 in June 2011 for $3.4 million.

They hired architects and renovated the offices before opening for business a little over a year ago, according to corporate communications manager Laura Peterson.

Growing consumer demand led the company to expand its research and development strategies to the new facility and create the test center.

Since September, beverage-savvy citizens have been bellying up to one of six sophisticated computer setups in the lab.

There, they are screened as potential consumer test panelists, who provide feedback on highly secretive new product ideas.

“We’re really focused on three things: taste, convenience and nutrition,” Novak said.

GMCR researchers like Melissa Gorham and Christine Thompson work collaboratively to measure the strength of each potential panelist’s senses. Those who are selected will sample new product ideas and help the company decide if they are worth pursuing, according to Laura Lucchina, GMCR’s manager of measurement science.

GMCR’s offerings have expanded way beyond coffee since the business started in 1981 in a small Waitsfield café. Twelve years later, the company went public before making an early investment in Keurig Inc. GMCR took full ownership of Keurig in 2006, capitalizing on its popular single-cup brewing systems and K-Cup components.

In recent years, GMCR has established manufacturing and distribution agreements with familiar companies like Dunkin’ Donuts, J.M. Smucker Co. (manufacturer of Folgers and Millstone brands), Newman’s Own, Starbucks, ConAgra (makers of Swiss Miss hot cocoa), Lipton tea and Campbell’s soup.

The company has continued expanding its selections to include non-coffee drinks like ice teas, ice coffees and vitamin-enhanced fruit drinks.

In all, the company says it now sources, produces and sells more than 27 brands and 200 varieties of beverages, along with traditionally-packaged whole bean and ground coffees.

And they’re going to keep growing, according to Lucchina. The testing that goes on in Waterbury Center will help determine the direction of that growth.

Let the tasting begin

At the sensory test center, researchers seek out people with particularly strong senses to serve as test panelists.

“Certainly aroma affects how something tastes, but people first taste with their eyes. It’s all part of the important sensory experience,” Lucchina said.

Novak said the new test center helps actively gauge important consumer and market trends, especially regarding non-coffee drinks.

Lucchina and Novak agree that having the ability to conduct this type of research within their own facility is an important and cost-effective step. They hope to amass a database of about 500 knowledgeable test panelists, Lucchina said.

After signing in, potential panelists are led to a lab with six computer stations, each overlooking a square door through which researchers can slide small tasting samples to participants on trays.

Before the tasting begins, consumers must fill out confidentiality agreements, Lucchina said, along with a medical history form to screen out possible health concerns like diabetes.

Then the fun begins.

After a color blindness screening, similar to what you’d find at the eye doctor, panelists are provided with a scratch-and-sniff book to identify a variety of scents ranging from fruity (think fresh strawberries) to earthy (like leather or gasoline).

Next comes the tasting.

Following a bite of cracker and a sip of water to cleanse the palette, consumers are asked to complete test samples. Then they fill out a computer survey, rating everything from the product’s sweetness to its color to the likelihood they would buy it.

“Everyone needs to be able to fully describe their sensory experience and really be articulate,” Lucchina said.

Andrea Pray of Waterbury and Mike Pelchar of Middlesex were all smiles as they went through the screening process recently.

Pray said being comfortable with both the testing process and overall surroundings made it easier to focus on the questions. She hopes to be called back in the future to try more products.

The same was true for Pelchar, who said he signed up to try something new.

“This is exciting and it gives me something different to do. The experience has been great and everyone is really friendly and welcoming,” he said.

After completing the testing, both candidates were given a Green Mountain Coffee gift card.

They’ll now have to wait and see if they’re selected as panelists to test potential new products and help determine Green Mountain Coffee Roasters’ offerings in years to come.

Interested in becoming a consumer panelist? Call 882-2703 or email sensory.testcenter@gmcr.com for more information.