Page 13 - Food & Drink Business Magazine September 2018

COVER STORY
Kerry says its agricultural roots make it well adapted to developing “for food from food” flavour solutions.
especially in beverages, dairy and snacks,” Van der Walt says.
“It also includes replacing artificial flavours with natural versions, such as replacing bakery preservatives with clean label offerings made from fermented wheat.”
countries across six continents. “That’s what makes us
different from our competitors – we really are grounded in agriculture, as opposed to the chemical industry and therefore are well adapted to develop
‘for food from food’ flavour solutions.”
A major milestone occurred in 2016, when in certain categories, natural flavour began to outsell its artificial counterpart in Europe in certain categories, according to Van der Walt, and these days the clean label trend continues to evolve with companies increasingly seeking out ingredients specifically for their healthful properties.
“Clean label can also be about reinvention, and brands are certainly trying to position their products as more natural and really evolving their ranges to be healthier,” Van der Walt says.
SUPER INGREDIENTS
It was this big shift that drove the company to change its name from Kerry Ingredients to Kerry Taste and Nutrition three years ago, Van der Walt says.
“The name change was very indicative of where the market is going, on one hand wanting food to taste great but also wanting it to be nutritionally optimised,” she says.
These good-for-you and better-for-you trends are seeing more and more companies strategically adding nutritionally beneficial ingredients, like probiotics, into products. Kerry, for instance, has developed GanedenBC30
ability to form a protective space, just as seeds wait to grow until conditions are optimal. This means it can be used in products that are baked, boiled, frozen or squeezed.
Moreover, in other markets such as the UK, Kerry makes its own consumer food products. It is the largest manufacturer of frozen foods in Europe, and in the top three for fresh products, offering it a unique insight into the needs of its ingredients customers.
“We have the same view on the world as our customers,” Van der Walt says. “As an organisation, we have strong links to the consumer, and we are able to leverage our insights from that market.”
PLANT POWER
The third major trend, according to Van der Walt, is the “green protein revolution”, with plant protein presenting a huge opportunity.
“Interestingly, Australia is the third largest growing vegan market in the world, but when you look at green protein, it’s more about people wanting variety,” she says.
“In the traditional meat aisles, we can expect to see more and more products made from plant protein.”
Van der Walt notes that Kerry makes a large range of extruded protein products that when hydrated, emulate certain aspects of meat.
According to Van der Walt, Kerry has been investing in extrusion technology for years, and to this end recently embarked on a JV with Netherlands-based plant- based meat alternatives pioneer Ojah.
“This is the reason I joined Kerry,” Van der Walt says. “It has the depth and breadth, and when we help customers develop products, we have a complete range of offerings: flavours, texturants, proteins, the sugar and salt, and the probiotics.
“At the end of the day, taste is king and that’s why we are the taste and nutrition company
– we are making great tasting products with optmised nutrition.” ✷
✷ GRASS ROOTS
Kerry’s new ANZ VP and GM Michele van der Walt.
INGREDIENTS OF SUCCESS
Kerry started out as a dairy processor in Ireland and in less than fifty years has grown to become a $US7.3 billion company.
In 2017, the sales revenue from Kerry’s Asia Pacific operations grew 13 per cent to exceed the $US1 billion mark, and Kerry is projecting continued growth in the region, driven by the increase in the number of middle class consumers. The company’s Australian head office is in Newington, Sydney, and includes a Regional Development and Application Centre.
Kerry has manufacturing operations in Murrarrie QLD, Lonsdale SA, and Auckland New Zealand.
The company has over 1000 customers in Australia and New Zealand, and next year will celebrate 25 years in Australia & New Zealand.
Kerry is also a Top 100 Food & Beverage Company in Australia according to IBIS World 2017, as reported in Food & Drink Business.
“ It is my firm belief that the ingredients companies that are best positioned to serve both big and small companies will win.”
Kerry has a long track record in the creation of natural flavours, Van der Walt says, with the company starting out in life as a dairy processor in Ireland.
Fast forward 46 years and the company now has 24,000 employees in more than 30
which has been shown in scientific studies to be able to withstand harsh processing and is shelf stable, unlike many probiotics, such as those used in yoghurt.
GanedenBC30 (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086) is extremely stable due to the cell’s
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