Industrial cheese, ingredient and sauce supplier Sargento Food Ingredients, Plymouth, Wis., launched the Sargento Idea Center (www.SargentoIdeaCenter.com), a virtual creativity kitchen where visitors can use Sargento Food Ingredients’ product portfolio in “an interactive, hands-on way,” officials say.

“It’s no secret today that product development times are short and resources are stretched,” says Mike Gordy, president, Sargento Food Ingredients. “With the Idea Center, we give our customers another way to channel their creativity and explore new product ideas very efficiently and effectively.” 

Sargento Chef Glenda Murray is the online guide to the Idea Center. She introduces visitors to the product development kitchen and helps them get started. Users will be able to click and choose among the Sargento products to build their own creation. After selecting the desired category, temperature state, form, ingredients and a packaging option, a photo of their creation will appear. Before leaving the Idea Center, product developers can contact a Sargento sales representative for a product consultation or they can send their creation to a colleague.