The Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) food ingredients group has moved to invest $16 million into its Boone County, Kentucky, US site, notably extending its Colours from Nature series of solutions. 

As the company explained, the funding boost is set to offer a further 14,000 square feet of manufacturing space and state-of-the-art production capabilities by early 2027.

Furthermore, it allows ADM to significantly increase the capacity of liquid and dry-blended colour solutions already produced at the facility to serve growing demand from customers.

This builds on a recent $26M investment in its neighbouring Erlanger, Kentucky facility to strengthen capabilities for growing food and beverage reformulation demands.

“As customers respond to evolving consumer preferences and changing regulatory expectations, colour has become a crucial part of successful reformulation,” said Calvin McEvoy, ADM’s president of global flavours. “This investment strengthens our ability to deliver high-quality, reliable and scalable natural col-or solutions from our Colors From Nature portfolio, while further positioning Northern Kentucky as a critical hub for ADM’s North American colours business.”

“ADM’s continued investment is a strong reflection of Northern Kentucky’s ability to support innovative manufacturers as they grow,” said Boone County judge/executive Gary Moore. “This expansion will create quality jobs while strengthening our region’s food and beverage manufacturing sector and helping ADM meet growing demand for naturally derived color solutions.”

ADM has been an exceptional partner for the City of Erlanger and we wish them success with this continued expansion of their Northern Kentucky campus,” said Mayor Jessica Fette, City of Erlanger. “This investment reinforces the strength of Northern Kentucky’s skilled workforce and our region’s position as an ideal location for large companies to grow.”

The expansion comes as the colour conversion opportunity in North America is estimated at more than $1 billion. It is largely driven by growing regulatory and consumer calls for food and beverage manufacturers to transition from artificial colours to naturally derived solutions.