Flavor & fragrance union targets leading market position

A number of flavor and fragrance companies in the US have united under one umbrella to create Agilex Flavors & Fragrances Group, which aims to carve its niche as a leading player in the market.

The new company was yesterday formally launched through the integration of the Flavor and Fragrance Group (FFG) and six of its operating companies.

These are AromaTech, International Fragrance & Technology, Technology Flavors & Fragrances, Key Essentials, FlavorSource and Western Flavors & Fragrances.

The companies were selected due to the proprietary and specialty technologies as well as their diverse customer base, said the new firm.

A spokesperson told FoodNavigator-USA.com that the move is designed to be "seamless" to existing customers.

The firm is positioning itself as "a new kind of flavor and fragrance company", that is taking a new approach to the market characterized by the company logo: "Agility.

Passion.

Excellence".

According to Carlo Colesanti, chief executive officer of FFG, who will now also head up Agilex, "we have brought people into our company who are weary of conducting business in the same old way, people who have the passion and commitment to deliver on our aspirations to do it better and to perform with agility in managing the everyday changes that are inherent in our business."

"We are an organization that combines big-company resources with small-company values.

We put into everyday practice the careful attention to our customers' needs.

It is what all of our customers have a right to expect, regardless of their size," he said.

On the flavor side, Agilex has four main areas of focus: beverages, baked goods, confectionery and neutraceuticals.

The fragrance side of the firm will focus on candles, air care, personal care, household and industrial products.

The company said it will focus on the growing middle-market and select multinationals.

It claims to already have a "significant" industry presence and plans to expand its technologies through a "vigorous, ongoing pursuit of acquisitions".

"Agilex (…) is seeking to further its position as a leading player and important brand of flavors and fragrances," said Colesanti.

"As we grow, we will continue to demonstrate our ability to track and anticipate trends, and translate them into winning flavor and fragrance product concepts."

In its flavor business, Agilex said it is a "concept to completion" supplier, providing the full range of services that is required to launch new food and beverage products to market.

The firm said it provides technologies to support both in-house and outsourced product development.

Amongst the products available in the company's portfolio are natural, artificial, nature identical, certified organic, Kosher and Halal flavors.

Flavor resources include advanced laboratories and analytical equipment alongside plating, homogenization, hot fill and emulsion manufacturing capabilities.

In the fragrance segment, the company employs perfumers, fragrance evaluation experts, research and application chemists, together with "insightful marketers" that employ patented fragrance technologies for new product innovations.

New fragrance concepts, trend-forward creative fragrances, and fragrance replication are available through a number of proprietary, custom delivery systems, said the firm.

Agilex will be supplying customers in North and South America.