Good processes matter

Science and customer-led. Full circle.

A disciplined path from Insight to Launch

Our stage-gate development process ensures every project moves forward with intention. Each phase is cross-functionally coordinated connecting R&D, Quality Assurance, Procurement, and Operations to eliminate surprises and keep timelines on track.

A flowchart illustrating a seven-step process called 'Our Stage-Gate Process' with steps numbered 1 to 7: Insights, Concept, Feasibility, Formulation, Trials, Packaging, and Launch, with arrows indicating the progression from one step to the next.

Disciplined stage-gate approach

Each gate is a deliberate checkpoint, ensuring specs are locked, trials are validated, and commercial readiness is confirmed before advancement. No shortcuts, no surprises.

Repeatable, scalable innovation engine

The same process that launches a single SKU can scale to a full portfolio. Our R&D infrastructure is built for repeatability, so your next launch is faster than the last.

The R&D Impact

01

Clarity, consistency and risk reduction

We build specifications with precision and validate them thoroughly, so the ingredient you qualify is the ingredient you receive, batch after batch. Fewer surprises in your plant means fewer costs on your profits and losses.

02 

Competitive advantage through technical leadership

Our technical depth allows us to identify formulation opportunities your competitors haven't found yet, from novel protein applications to functional ingredient pairings that support on-trend label claims.

A female lab technician wearing glasses and a black shirt working in a laboratory with scientific equipment and test tubes.
Person wearing a blue smock and a name tag sprinkles brown powder, possibly cinnamon or ground coffee, from a measuring cup into a baking dish.

03

Support across development, commercialization and scale-up

Our R&D stays engaged from initial concept through first commercial production run, ensuring that what works in the lab performs at full scale in your plant.

A close-up of a tabby cat with brown and black stripes eating from a silver bowl placed on a light-colored surface.

04

Better products and stronger long-term relationships

The brands that grow fastest are the ones with the strongest supplier technical partnerships. Our R&D is designed to be that partner – technically capable, commercially aware, and invested in your outcomes.

We’re more than a supplier – we are a strategic R&D partner that enables reliable, scalable innovation. When your brand needs to move faster, formulate smarter, and launch with confidence, Simmons Animal Nutrition R&D is the team behind your team.

Work With Us

Your technical interface

We connect science, process expertise, and deep customer understanding to deliver clarity, consistency, innovation, and risk reduction at every stage of the product lifecycle.

  • Whether you’re developing a new line or diagnosing a production issue, our R&D provides formulation guidance rooted in real process data. We know how our ingredients behave in your equipment.

  • Our R&D supports full qualification trials and plant start-ups, ensuring new ingredients are introduced with minimal disruption and maximum data confidence. We’re on the floor with you when it counts.

  • Recommendations are never one-size-fits-all. Our R&D maps our ingredient capabilities to your specific processing parameters – extruder configuration, moisture targets, cook temperatures, and more.

  • Every recommendation we make is backed by analytical data, trial results, and documented performance history. When your QA team needs answers, we have the documentation to support them.

  • Our R&D acts as the connective tissue between your team and ours – coordinating with Quality Assurance, Procurement, and Operations to ensure every technical commitment is commercially executable.

Your strategic supplier

When evaluating long-term ingredient partners, leading pet food brands look beyond price and availability. We check every box that defines a true strategic R&D partner.

  • Holistic evaluation of how ingredients perform across batches, species, and processing conditions.

  • The operational scale to grow with you, with pricing structures and supply agreements built for long-term predictability.

  • Supply redundancy, sustainability integration, and geographic breadth that protect your sourcing strategy.

  • Supplier FSQ standards that meet the most rigorous quality and food safety requirements in the industry.

  • Active innovation partnership, not passive ingredient supply. We bring concepts to life alongside your team.

  • A cultural commitment to responsiveness, issue resolution speed, and ongoing performance improvement – measurable at every interaction.