Cargill, Fort Collins, Colo., debuted its expanded Specialty Canola Innovation Center last month with a grand opening event.

The Cargill Specialty Canola Oils Innovation Center houses an expanded greenhouse and technology lab, which enables the company to develop and improve yield for its growers and new oil traits for its food customers in a faster, more cost-effective manner, according to a Cargill press release.

“Cargill's investment in this innovation center demonstrates our commitment to the canola industry and the Fort Collins community,” said Jenny Verner, president, Cargill Specialty Canola Oils. “Cargill is dedicated to serving the entire supply chain and is continually improving yield and disease resistance of canola for its growers.”

Presenters at the grand opening included Verner; Dr. Lorin DeBonte, assistant vice president, research and development, Cargill Specialty Canola Oils; Byrd Curtis, former Cargill employee; Commissioner John Stulp, Colorado Department of Agriculture; Mayor Doug Hutchinson; and Lee Sommers, dean, Colorado State University College of Agricultural Sciences.

Chocolate division to offer seminar Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate announced that it will hold a three-day seminar in Lititz, Pa., Nov. 10-12, for aspiring confectioners and chocolatiers looking to start their own confectionery business. The course will introduce the basics of starting a successful business and also will include a hands-on confection-making session.

“We are excited about this new offering from Cargill. We are melding practical business tools with confectionery making,” said Courtney LeDrew, marketing specialist, Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate.

The first two days of the workshop will be held in a classroom setting, where participants will learn about site selection, determining product mix, selecting and purchasing equipment, branding and packaging the product, fundamentals of marketing, advertising and promotion, understanding legal rights and obligations and more. The third day will focus on hands-on confection making, during which participants will learn about the theory of chocolate tempering and make their own confections. The Chocolatier's Workshop will be taught and facilitated by a mix of Cargill specialists and industry experts.

The Chocolatier's Workshop is limited to 12 qualified participants. For more information, contact Becky Cox at 717/626-3246 or e-mail chocolate@cargill.com.