Alland & Robert confirms €11 million expansion of acacia gum production site
French-based Acacia gum specialist Alland & Robert is set to deliver an €11 million investment early in 2021 for a fourth production line at its plant in Saint Aubin sur Gaillon, Normandy, with wide application for the confectionery sector, reports Neill Barston.
As the company noted to Confectionery Production, its expanded facilities will significantly increase its capacity by around 9,000 tonnes per year, adding to its present tally of 20,000 tonnes currently processed each year.
This 45% increase in production capacity responds to a sharply increasing global demand for acacia gum- which has increasingly been used as a stabilising ingredient for confectionery and related coatings, as well as being used within the bakery market.
The expansion of the company’s plant covers an area of 8,000m2 which will double its surface. There will be a new global production unit in order to increase the company’s acacia gum production capacity, and is anticipated to be fully open by the end of 2022. Having been founded in 1884, the firm has steadily built up its international presence, and is focused on sustainable sourcing from its key markets in Africa.
“This new investment comes on top of the €3 million already invested in 2020 and 2021 to improve our existing production facilities,” said Frédéric Alland, President of Alland & Robert. “We are happy the covid-19 crisis hasn’t slowed down our project: for 2020, we estimate our turnover should increase by approximately 8%. It was 45 million euros in 2019.
The significant investment for the business comes as it is continuing to gain markets around the world and is now exporting natural gums to more than 70 countries. Its progress is linked to the further growth of the acacia gum market, which is also reportedly growing: this completely natural, vegetable and healthy ingredient is used in thousands of everyday products.
As the company noted, responds to today’s consumer trends, in being an organic ingredient by sourced from Africa in an ethical and sustainable manner, as well as offering a broad range of formulations for vegetarian and vegan products, which are prized by consumers.
