GNT expands its US presence with new multi-million facilities
Netherlands-founded GNT is set to deliver a major strategic investment of $30 million expanding its colouring foods operations in the US, with additional facilities in Gaston County, near Charlotte, North Carolina, writes Neill Barston.
The 49-acre site, initially focused on a warehouse development (below), is anticipated to make a key difference to its activity in America, Canada and Mexico, with its core Exberry series, which has well established application across confectionery and bakery markets.
From next August, a Technical and Culinary Experience Centre linked to the development is scheduled to open, and will provide visitors and culinary teams with an unprecedented opportunity to experiment, create, and innovate together.
As reported by Confectionery Production, its US expansion comes following news last month that the business welcomed a move from the Natural Food Colours Association on a code of practice for colouring foods within Europe region, amid greater international focus on health and wellbeing ranges.
Hendrik Hoeck, CEO at GNT Group B.V., said: “We are seeing consistent demand for our colours as the consumption of products that are formulated with Exberry continues to grow. Part of our Strategic Growth Plan is a multiple phase expansion in North America. I am happy to announce the completion of the initial phase with our warehouse commissioning on October 15, 2021. This will bring increased capacity, supply-chain efficiency and improved control of inventory.”
“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,” says Frederik Hoeck, Managing Director at GNT Group B.V.
As a family-owned business, throughout their forty-five year history, the goal at GNT is to continuously invest in innovation and this new facility will deliver on this fundamental objective.
“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,” says Hendrik Hoeck, with the business added that it looked forward to hosting workshops which will enable customers to meet teams of R&D scientists in person to collaborate on colour matching, pilot plant trials.
The company, which was created in 1978, offers unparalleled agricultural competence and process-engineering expertise in delivering solutions from fruit, vegetables and edible plants. With its HQ in Mierlo, The Netherlands, it now operates in 75 countries including North and South America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.