Ireland’s Kerry has reached an agreement with global chemical and ingredient distributor Univar that will see the companies work together on the distribution of Kerry’s taste portfolio across four European markets.
Univar will distribute Kerry’s taste solutions in the UK, Ireland, Spain and Portugal.
"Working with Kerry marks the first time Univar has aligned our highly functional taste portfolio to be provided by a European manufacturer," said Simon Atkins, Univar's food ingredients industry director, EMEA.
Univar highlighted Kerry’s strong “internationally recongnised and trusted brand” and its large and “innovative” portfolio of taste and nutrition technologies, systems and functional ingredients as offering competitive advantage.
"With Kerry's brand recognition in a number of product markets, their portfolio enables us to further enhance our taste solutions offering for all food manufacturing sectors,” Atkins noted.
‘We will access a larger market’
For its part, Kerry said the tie-up will enable it to expand its market reach.
"Our products are used to provide signature taste and improved nutrition in some of the world's favourite consumer foods, across all food and beverage categories," said Bruce Clague, general manager, Kerry Taste & Nutrition UK & Ireland.
"Working with Univar will enable us to access a larger marketplace than we currently cater to and we are confident that Univar's reach and know-how will be an important asset for us in this regard."
At the ‘forefront of innovation’
Detailing the agreement, Univar stressed the tie-up recognises the need to be “at the forefront of innovation” to keep up with today’s “rapidly changing food industry”.
The company flagged growing demand for free-from products as well as consumer expectations around transparency and safety as driving forces behind product development.
“Univar's team of highly experienced experts offer a competitive advantage by providing extensive research and product development for customers. Additionally, Univar offers in-depth food market knowledge and understanding by helping customers achieve the latest food innovations to meet increasing demand. Most of all, Univar understands the importance of food safety and is committed to reducing environmental impact with more sustainable options,” the distributor claimed.
