Cargill Raises the Bar on Development Synergy

Synergy . . . partnering . . . networking . . . alliances . . . These are all terms that came into vogue during the 1990s as downsized corporate R&D teams struggled to find the next big thing in a supersaturated U.S. market. Ingredient companies touted their expertise and research capabilities to skeptical but languishing food companies. Partnering with a supplier represented a radical cultural change and a leap of faith for many, yet the concept has taken hold, born of budgetary and marketp…