Company Puts R&D Arm in Roanoke

Maxx Performance today announced it will open a research & development and manufacturing facility in Roanoke, creating a projected 12-15 jobs over the next three years and investing up to $700,000 in equipment.

The company will be located in the former Valley Rich Dairy building on Aerial Way Drive. Maxx Performance is a provider of microencapsulation/encapsulation technologies used by manufacturers of baked products, confection goods, dairy or meat products, nutritional supplements, and animal feed.

The company’s products mask taste and off-odors, extend shelf life, and enhance flavor and texture to help manufacturers overcome application and processing challenges, optimize product delivery, and improve time to market.

“Our new Virginia-based facility will house a state-of-the-art application test center where customers can evaluate our ingredients in their products and develop formulations that can be scaled up,” says Dr. Winston Samuels, president and CEO. “It will also allow us to work with the brightest minds at Virginia Tech to innovate more of the practical applications our customers need to succeed.

"Locating our facility in Roanoke enables us to give back to the region some of what was given to us while we were students at Virginia Tech.”

Microencapsulation is at the leading edge in food formulation technology. For example, bitter tastes such as caffeine, green tea extract or certain vitamins and minerals can provide healthful benefits but affect how foods taste.

Microencapsulation, containing these ingredients and their tastes in microscopic capsules, enables the tastes to be managed within a completed product and, for example, reduce the need for artificial sweeteners. “As the economy emerges from the recession, we are seeing more interest in the Roanoke region as a business location,” says Beth Doughty, executive director of the Roanoke Regional Partnership.

Headquartered in Chester, N.Y., the company (here) is a privately held firm established in 2004. The company is locating within Roanoke’s Enterprise Zone and will be eligible to receive associated state and local incentives.