You might want to sit-rus down for this. Florida Polytechnic University is partnering with International Flavors and Fragrances Inc. (IFF) to build a new Citrus Innovation Center on its campus. Ryan Companies, a real estate + construction management company, will start development this summer and expects to complete the project by late 2023.
New York-based IFF, which specializes in providing products to companies in industries like food + beverage, scent, pharmaceutical, is funding the project and plans to use the 28,000-sqft facility for citrus research. Florida Poly will not invest any capital into the development, but there may be opportunities for students to work in the Citrus Innovation Center.
According to Ryan Companies, the design of the building is inspired by flavor and fragrance. The facility will include a citrus research garden, research labs, analytical departments + experience sites.
Of course, Polk County is no stranger to citrus innovation. With over 74 million citrus trees and 569,000+ acres of citrus groves across Florida, Polk County remains the state’s top citrus producer. In 2020, our county alone produced 11.6 million boxes of citrus, worth $4.74 billion.
