Sensory Testing & Commercial Test Kitchen

High-quality taste testing, product evaluation, and central location testing (CLT) in a purpose-built research environment.

At Herron Associates, sensory research is a core capability.

Our Indianapolis facility features one of the largest dedicated consumer test kitchens in the Midwest, designed to support everything from quick-turn taste tests to complex, multi-phase product evaluations.

Whether you are optimizing a product, validating a reformulation, or benchmarking against competitors, we make it easy to execute with confidence.

Built for Real-World Product Testing

Our sensory testing environment is designed to replicate real consumption while maintaining the control required for accurate results.

We support:

Central Location Tests (CLTs)
Sequential monadic and monadic testing
Product comparison and benchmarking
Multi-phase and multi-day studies
In-home use test (IHUT) support

From food and beverage to broader consumer products, every study is executed with precision.

Commercial Test Kitchen

A key differentiator of our facility is our on-site commercial test kitchen.

Approximately 960 sq. ft. dedicated test kitchen
Professional-grade appliances and prep areas
Ability to support complex preparation protocols
Efficient staging and product flow
Hot, cold, and ambient testing capabilities

This allows products to be prepared and served as intended, ensuring consistency across every respondent.

Recruiting That Delivers

The quality of sensory research depends on the quality of participants.

Herron’s recruiting team ensures the right consumers are in the room:

Verified category users and competitive brand users
Target demographics aligned to your objectives
Balanced quotas for meaningful comparisons
Screened to eliminate overused or professional respondents

Our Midwest database provides access to reliable participants who deliver more natural, unbiased feedback.

Why Indianapolis

Indianapolis offers a strategic advantage for sensory research:

Lower respondent fatigue than major metro markets
Strong representation of mainstream U.S. consumers
Faster recruiting timelines
Cost-effective execution

For many national brands, this results in cleaner data and more actionable insights.

Simple, Seamless Execution

We handle the logistics so your team can stay focused on the research.

Our support includes:

Recruiting and screening
Scheduling and field management
Product handling and preparation
On-site hosting and client services
Data capture and optional topline summaries

Whether you need full-service support or recruiting-only, we adapt to your process.

Who We Work With