Construction is already underway on the site of its current production plant and is scheduled to finish in early 2017.
Managing director of GNT, Dr Hendrik Hoeck, said the investment backs the company’s target annual growth of 5-10% by 2020.
Head of marketing Guido de Jager told FoodNavigator the company, which employs around 300 people across its global operations, could not yet confirm how many new jobs would be created with the expansion, but added it would probably be between one and 10.
"We have made colouring foods for 40 years – we basically created the whole category – and can supply all colours but there are some areas that can be improved either for a colour or a specific product," he said.
GNT recently launched a range of micronized colouring food powders for beverages, soups, salad seasoning and confectionery, which are currently available in five base colours that can also be mixed to create additional shades.
In addition to dealing with specific customer demands, one future R&D priority for the new lab will be widening the range of colours available in micronized powder form.
The expansion will also boost quality control as the new laboratories will be kitted out with the equipment for microbiological analyses and hygiene monitoring.
“The groups that monitor food quality always come up with new demands, rightly so, and so we are building this new facility to deal with that," de Jager said.
GNT ensures it has a secure year-round supply of raw materials with its vertically integrated supply chain.
Farmers and growers supply it exclusively with the fruit or vegetables needed, be it carrots, berries or spirulina, de Jager said, and it has a storage capacity of one and a half years.
“This means if there are any issues with the harvest or an increase in demand we can always supply,” he said.