In 2022, Institut Cerdà unveiled industry-leading innovations during the sixth Observatory for Innovation in Mass Consumption in Spain, held at the Ministry of Science and Innovation. It highlighted Mercadona’s internal application, known as DPP, as a process innovation capable of determining unit-level costs and profitability for every product at all stages of the assembly chain, thereby enabling precise cost decisions. The announcement also drew attention to an easy-opening system for soluble coffee introduced by Mercadona. (Source: Mercadona)
The application, created after more than 5 million euros of investment, aims to optimize Mercadona’s processes, enabling rapid and flexible adaptation to the uncertainty of the current environment marked by rising energy, transport, and raw material costs. The goal is to achieve cost savings without compromising quality on each product. To date, the company reports savings exceeding 150 million euros through the tool. (Source: Mercadona)
Another notable product innovation is the easy-open packaging system incorporated into the lid of the Hacendado soluble coffee range, including Classic, Decaffeinated, and Espresso Cream, developed in collaboration with supplier Totaler Prosol. (Source: Mercadona)
With this packaging, consumers can open the product easily by pressing the lid, eliminating the need for extra utensils such as teaspoons. This design speeds up the opening process while preserving the coffee’s flavor and aroma under optimal conditions. (Source: Mercadona)
Mercadona co-innovation model
Mercadona places the satisfaction of the internal customer, affectionately nicknamed the Boss, at the heart of its operations. The company maintains a corporate culture centered on service excellence and continuous quality improvement, which drives innovation across the organization. (Source: Mercadona)
Mercadona has developed a pioneering Joint Innovation Model that has evolved since 2011 through what it calls the Apron Strategy. This approach shares experiences and practices related to food and beverage consumption, household cleaning, personal care, and pet care with customers. Those insights are then relayed to suppliers to enhance quality and promote direct collaboration in the development of new products. (Source: Mercadona)
The company operates a network of more than 22 partner innovation centers across Spain and Portugal. These facilities are dedicated to innovation, continually improving processes and products, studying customers’ needs, and delivering the best solutions in a rapidly changing context with agility. (Source: Mercadona)