CONTINUOUS 360° IMPROVEMENT
Hearthside is a continuous improvement culture. Processes undergo constant and rigorous measurement, evaluation, and improvement. Not the domain of a select few, every member of our team — now over 7,000 people — are entrusted with the responsibility and leadership to seek superior solutions creating new value for customers. The proof is our day-over-day, year-over-year progress. It’s posted on our walls, transparently reported to our customers, and measured incessantly. Continuous Improvement is in Hearthside’s DNA.
PRODUCT R&D
Hearthside operates multiple R&D centers in the US and the EU. Our European bar R&D center, for example, is a center of excellence, staffed with scientists, engineers, and technicians producing complex, original recipes for nutrition, sport, and functional bars. Our bar and cookie/cracker R&D capabilities are coupled with production kitchens and pilot production lines, enabling the real-world testing and scaling of R&D concepts. R&D drives innovation up and down the Hearthside value chain.
IDEATION
Ideation, or concept development, was once an internal process at most food companies. Today, external ideation support is actively sought by premier branded food companies. Hearthside participates with customers in a co-innovation process leading to new possibilities. By expanding the space of what is possible, we help customers create new extensions, products, and even new categories. Enabling customer ideation through co-innovation.
TECHNOLOGY
Technology and superior tools allowing for new possibilities fuels industry innovation. Hearthside invests heavily in new technology, from our enterprise-wide SAP platform to constant capital upgrades in equipment and facilities. New technologies increase flexibility and quality, while often lowering costs and improving speed-to-market. Prudent ongoing investments in technology create new value for customers. Technology delivers new, innovative solutions.
