Netherlands-based GNT Group, which makes the Exberry natural colour range, has announced plans to expand in the US, where it notes growing awareness among manufacturers and producers for colour shades made from fruit, vegetables and edible plants.
GNT has announced an initial investment of US$30 million to expand its operation in North America. The 49-acre facility in Gaston County in North Carolina, will serve customers in the US, Canada, and Mexico and will expand GNT’s geographic footprint in the global natural colours market, which was valued at US$7.7bn in 2019 and is expected to grow at relatively high pace compared to the synthetic colours market.
GNT Hendrik Hoeck said demand for the company’s colours continues to grow and added the move is the first part a multiple phase expansion in North America.
“This will bring increased capacity, supply-chain efficiency and improved control of inventory,” he said. “Our strategy to create awareness of colouring food in the US in the last quarter century has been well executed by our marketing and sales team. As a result, today you will find ‘Fruit and vegetable juice for color’ on the label of many supermarkets’ products and also in food service items.”
Exberry concentrates are made from fruit, vegetables and edible plants using only gentle physical methods such as chopping, boiling and filtering. Comprising more than 400 shades, the solutions are used by more than 1,900 food and beverage companies in 75 countries around the world.
Hoeck added that the family-owned business, which has offices in North and South America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, has looked to continuously invest in innovation throughout its 45-year history.
“This new facility will deliver on this fundamental objective,” he said. “Our globally aligned innovation focus fields are a big part of our investment strategy to offer new colouring food solutions. The expected completion of the next phase will bring finished good production even closer to our North American customers by the end of 2022. This will increase the speed of bringing innovation to market.”
A Technical and Culinary Experience Center, scheduled to open August 2022, will provide visitors and culinary teams with an unprecedented opportunity to experiment, create, and innovate together.
“We look forward hosting workshops which will enable customers to meet teams of R&D scientists in person to collaborate on colour matching, pilot plant trials, and more.”