The global flavour & fragrance firm, which ranks in the top three, has previously handled the UK market directly, and will continue to develop its key accounts in the UK and Ireland itself.
But a spokesperson told Foodnavigator.com that flavour companies are increasingly handing over their small-lot distribution to specialists, who can devote more attention to smaller customers.
This way of working is observed as something of a trend amongst the big players. For IFF the arrangement means: “Small and medium companies will get a better service, while IFF can focus 100 per cent on its key accounts.”
According to the Food and Drink Federation, which represents manufacturers in the UK, small and medium enterprises make up 66.2 per cent of companies in the UK food and beverage sector, which has an overall annual turnover of £74bn.
Barentz is representing IFF’s whole range including herbs and spices, but it will not be focusing on fragrances as much as flavours. This is because its main client base is in foods, including beverages, dairy, sweet and savoury.
The spokesperson called arrangement “an extension of the sales and technical team in the UK”, and the objective is “as large a penetration as possible”.
Barentz representatives, who are savvy about the flavour industry, will be on the sharp end of the sales, and these will filter through to IFF’s UK base in Haverhill, Suffolk.
IFF’s European headquarters are in Hilversum, The Netherlands. Likewise Barentz is a Dutch group. The two companies have an existing relationship as Barentz has distributed IFF’s flavours in European countries, but the new deal is the first time Barentz UK Ltd has represented them.
The spokesperson said that Barentz does not include any other flavour firms’ products in its catalogue.