Frutarom targets frozen bakery with first move into meat and fish systems
and flavours, Frutarom moves into meat and fish preparations for
the first time.
The company said this week the target group for the brand new line is the frozen bakery sector.
Frutarom already supplies food makers with fruit and vegetable preparations out of its Food Systems division, boosted last year through the €30 million bolt-on acquisition of IFFs fruit preparation business in Europe.
But with a first-time move into meat and fish, Frutarom is hoping to grab a slice of the blossoming convenience food market.
Time saving products and 'quick fixes' are important to 82 per cent of European and US consumers, finds data from Datamonitor.
This would explain why prepared meal consumption in Europe and America is forecast to double in ten years, to exceed €33 billion by 2009, up from €24 billion in 1999.
"Feedback from our customers showed a definite demand for meat and fish preparations,"says a spokesperson for Frutarom, explaining the motivation behind the company's decision to take on board the costs and risk of a new line.
Essentially, the bespoke system is comprised of meat or fish, plus a range of flavours, stabilisers and other ingredients depending on the demands of the customer.
"Based on the specifics of the end-product, we will calculate the system, and within a few days we will deliver a sample to the client," the spokesperson tells FoodNavigator.com.
A Mexican-style preparation for a stuffed baguette, for example, might include chicken, beans, corn, flavours and stabilisers, adds the firm.
Samples are available from 0.5 kg to 30 kg, trials at 300 kg, and the minimum quantity per order is one ton.
Shy on disclosing cost, Frutarom said the customer that buys the system can make savings because "they do not need to order ingredients, the preparation simplifies processing and saves on logistics."
The line currently uses tuna, chicken, turkey, ham or bacon (all sourced from the EU), but the firm claims it has plans to expand the range with more variations, as well as widening the net of target groups.
Minimising risk, Frutarom is working with a third party with experience in meat and fish, that will actually manufacture the systems.
The Israeli firm, that in 2003 paid €20 million for the Swiss flavours company Emil Flachsmann (now Frutarom Switzerland), recently confirmed its ambitious strategy for the next three to four years. The company is looking to more than triple turnover to $500 - 600 million by 2008, through acquisitions and "accelerated growth in core activities".
