Q&A with Flavorist Amos Mphephu: A New Home for Flavor at ADM's South Africa Lab
At ADM's newly opened flavor creation facility in Johannesburg, South Africa, innovation starts with the senses – and with the people behind them. The facility marks a major expansion of ADM's presence in Africa, accelerating flavor creation, design and development capabilities.
That mission reflects a clear shift in local preferences: 83% of South African consumers often or sometimes enjoy combinations of traditional flavors with innovative ingredients to explore new taste experiences.1 In response, the Johannesburg team is exploring unique local flavors like Marula (Sclerocarya birrea) Baobab (Adansonia digitata), African Custard-Apple (Annona senegalensis), while collaborating closely with customers to bring ideas to market faster.
For ADM's principal flavorist, Amos Mphephu, the lab is more than a workplace; it's a creative hub where culture, science and curiosity meet. When Amos talks about flavor, it's never just chemistry. It's memory, place and possibility.
As one of the flavorists shaping this state-of-the-art lab, Amos works at the intersection of global expertise and deep local taste, translating a rich culinary heritage into modern food and beverage experiences. We asked him about his role at ADM and his journey to becoming a flavorist, and how his local heritage to South Africa impacts current flavor creation.
What first sparked your interest in becoming a flavorist, and can you remember an early taste or food experience that made you realize this could be a career?
My path into flavors started with genuine curiosity. I have always been interested in the mixing of taste and smells, but more importantly, how the experience can be recreated. While the "flavorist" occupation was not introduced to me when I was growing up, flavors were a key part of my daily life. We ate real fruit straight from the tree, like mangoes, pineapples and other indigenous fruits. That's where my passion for taste started.
Throughout my education, I was originally drawn to agriculture. My studies naturally evolved towards chemistry and botany, but what mattered most to me was the application of it — using my education to serve my community and create something tangible. I loved chemistry because it was good for the world, and good for my community. Then phytochemistry came into my life, and I started to understand more about the chemicals in nature and how they behave. Looking back now, I can see how everything in my path pointed me here, even though I didn't know it at the time.
What types of flavors are you most passionate about?
I enjoy working with many flavors, but I am naturally drawn to tropical profiles, especially pineapple. There's something about the sulfur notes in pineapple. It is complex and beautiful, and it fascinates me. My strongest creative drive comes from flavors rooted in my childhood — particularly marula, an indigenous fruit native to Southern and parts of West Africa. I've never experienced a flavor that truly captures authentic marula. It's fruity, fermented, slightly alcoholic in character, and incredibly difficult to recreate. One day, that's my goal. Indigenous ingredients tell powerful stories. If we can unlock them properly, we bring something truly new to the market.
More than any single flavor, it's the process that excites me. When you're blending molecules and suddenly the aroma starts to resemble the real fruit, that moment feels like magic. It's chemistry, but it doesn't always feel like it.
You've previously worked with major global brands. How does that experience reflect in your work today?
I've had the opportunity to work with major food and beverage companies in developing flavors for products that reach a global audience. That taught me the importance of consistency, scalability, and understanding what consumers expect. At the same time, working in Africa brings a different dimension. There's more room to explore, build and define what the market can become. I see our new lab in Johannesburg as a step toward that future, where we can combine global standards with local creativity and become strong players in our local region.
Can you tell us more about the new flavor lab in Johannesburg and how it supports innovation for ADM's customers?
This new lab represents a major milestone, both personally and for ADM. It is far more than just physical space. It represents innovation, speed, flexibility and autonomy. We previously relied on flavors developed and produced in other ADM locations in Europe. Now we can create, adjust and test flavors locally. This allows us to dramatically shorten innovation cycles and better support customers across South Africa. The proximity also gives us a real competitive advantage. Customers don't just want a great flavor; they want it fast. Now we can deliver both.
The lab is small, but mighty – what I call a dynamite that comes in small packages. Our immediate focus is beverages, particularly energy drinks, colas and core soft drink flavors. However, we're just getting started and I look forward to continued expansion and deeper regional impact.
What does this new facility mean to you personally?
For me, this lab represents growth. Not just for ADM, but for South Africa. It's an opportunity to build something meaningful, to develop our local capabilities, and to support our customers in a more direct way. It also allows me to do what I enjoy most; creating, testing and continuously improving. Every day there is a chance to learn something new.
How does the lab support ADM's broader presence across Africa?
This facility is positioned to serve a wide region, including Southern, Sub-Saharan, West and East Africa, and specific markets like Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania. As we grow, the goal is to be more present in these markets — visiting customers, understanding local taste preferences and responding directly to their needs. Having a hub in Johannesburg allows us to build those relationships and provide more tailored solutions across the continent.
We're able to respond to shifting demands by working with our entire team, from flavorists to developers and marketers. Bringing everyone into the process ensures we connect with consumers locally and across the EMEA region.
Discover more about ADM's flavor innovation capabilities here.
1ADM Outside Voice℠, Global Lifestyles Survey, 2025