Curion expands Deerfield facility, boosts testing capacity 50%

Curion opened a newly renovated and expanded research facility in Deerfield, Illinois, on Oct. 21, adding capacity and new testing environments across food, beverage and product-use research. The upgrade is meant to give brands more flexibility and more space as they move products through development.

Why it matters: - Curion’s Deerfield expansion increases onsite testing capacity by 50%, giving the consumer research company more room to support client projects. - The added space is designed to help brands test products in more realistic settings across more stages of development. - The facility upgrade strengthens Curion’s network for food, beverage and foodservice research.

What happened: - Curion announced the grand opening of its newly renovated and expanded Deerfield, Illinois, facility at 111 Deer Lake Road. - The company celebrated the reopening on Oct. 21, 2026, with clients, partners and Curion employees. - Deerfield is one of six Curion-operated facilities in the United States and one in the United Kingdom.

The details: - The renovation added increased capacity and testing capabilities for a broader range of food, beverage and foodservice research. - The site now includes a fully renovated focus group environment with dedicated client viewing capabilities. - Curion added a flexible multi-purpose research space for focus groups, classroom-style taste tests and other studies that need adaptable room layouts. - Six new lifestyle suites were added with air-purging capabilities, a dishwasher, sink, mirror and stackable washer/dryer units. - The new suites are intended to support lifestyle, in-home and product-use research. - The expansion also added 2,500 square feet of storage space for logistics support. - Curion said the upgrades give clients more choices in how research environments are configured to meet specific objectives. - CEO Steve Jungmann said the expansion was built around clients and the evolving needs of research. - Jungmann said the project adds more options for how clients engage with respondents and how respondents experience products.

Between the lines: - Curion is signaling that facility design is becoming a competitive advantage in consumer research, not just an operational detail. - The addition of lifestyle suites suggests more demand for research that mimics real-world use, not only traditional test-room formats. - The company is positioning the Deerfield site as part of a broader network strategy that combines facilities, panels and research partners.

What’s next: - Curion is expected to use the expanded Deerfield site to handle more projects and more varied research formats. - The company said it will continue investing in clients, people and research capabilities across its network. - The renovated spaces will now be used for active client work and new studies.

The bottom line: - Curion is betting that more flexible, realistic testing spaces will help it win more consumer research business and better serve brands looking for faster, more useful product insights.