Merging ingredients

Ingredients company RFI Ingredients, a supplier of natural ingredients for the food and functional food industries, has signed a merger agreement, effective from 1 November, with US nutritional blends company Nat-Trop. The move looks set to provide RFI with a greater slice of South American ingredients.

Under the terms of the agreement, RFI will take over all operations of Nat-Trop and Nat-Trop will become a brand name under the RFI​ portfolio. Nat-Trop's product line includes Chocamine, a patent-pending cocoa extract, and other South American botanicals such as Sumax Brazilian ginseng, acerola, guarana, maca, pau d'arco and yerba mate.

RFI chief executive officer Jeff Wuagneux said: "The merger with Nat-Trop provides us with valuable experience and high quality product lines in the South American market, rounding out our product offerings and building on existing capabilities in China, Europe and North America to allow us to offer true global sourcing."​

Paul Altaffer, Nat-Trop president, added: "We believe the combined capabilities of the two companies will provide the best service to existing and future Nat-Trop customers."​