Hot Stuff
Forbes|September 30, 2019
Two years ago, McCormick spent more than $4 billion to buy a bunch of stalled supermarket staples. At the time, investors hated the deal. Boy, were they wrong.
Chloe Sorvino
Hot Stuff

A hive of food scientists in white lab coats and protective goggles buzz quietly around McCormick & Co. CEO Lawrence Kurzius, filling test tubes and testing the contents with their noses. A garden of herbs grows on the wall behind them, accenting the room with fresh sprouts of mustard seed, amber peas, Brazilian parsley and other spices. The 6-foot-3 Alabama native is in his element, his slow southern drawl slipping through as assistants rattle off the lab’s features: a rotary evaporator that extracts flavor without heat; a centrifuge powerful enough to turn thick, pulpy condiments into totally clear and totally tasty liquids; a bank of eight induction burners.

“We take the science of flavor very seriously,” says Kurzius, a 16-year veteran of the world’s largest spice purveyor, explaining how he nixed original plans for a more austere kitchen. “The whole industry looks to us to provide insight into what’s next. I told them it can’t be good enough because it’s not expensive enough.”

Since the 61-year-old Kurzius took the reins three years ago, sales are up 26% to $5.4 billion, and the stock price of the company—based outside of Baltimore—has doubled. That market performance and a reputation for creativity in a commodified industry are what have landed Kurzius in the 37th spot on our first annual list of America’s 100 most innovative corporate leaders.

Esta historia es de la edición September 30, 2019 de Forbes.

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Esta historia es de la edición September 30, 2019 de Forbes.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.