“Winning in the culinary world means delivering enjoyment and authenticity.”
Frank Höving, Vice President Category Culinary EAME, Flavor Division
€525 billion
the global market size for savory food from soups, sauces and ready meals
[Euromonitor, 2017]
83%
of US Consumers see taste as the most important factor when purchasing food
[Mintel, 2017]
70%
of European consumers say they are buying ‘healthier food’ with reduced amounts of salt, sugar, fat and calories
[Foodnavigator, 2017]
Beyond achieving great taste, our expert teams also work to stay one step ahead of the emerging trends that are changing the way people consume culinary products. Explore some of the trends we’re helping our customers to capitalize on.
What we do
We discover, build and co-create culinary experiences
Every taste solution that we produce is dedicated to capturing the joy of authentic food for our customers
We discover — Our insights allow us to discover and translate
We create the culinary difference...
through our unique networks of food experts, such as Chefs United. The valuable contributions of our chefs and other experts grant us key culinary insights from around the world. These range from local taste preferences to specific cooking methods. We then translate these insights into authentic, tailor-made solutions.
We achieve valuable insights through...
— in-depth investigations into consumer lifestyles, trends and desires
— predictive sensory and preference models
— deep-seated understanding of different brands and market needs.
We aim to inspire, delivering a great taste experience. We act globally to create local.
Our insights guide our solutions
80%
of consumers globally acknowledge that eating right is the most important factor in maintaining good health
[Ipsos, 2017]
50%
increase in global alternative protein consumption predicted between 2015 and 2054
[LuxResearch, 2018]
>40%
of consumers worldwide are looking for "all-natural" factors or ingredients on food labels
[Euromonitor, 2016]
22%
increase in new instant noodle product launches with a 'premium' claim, in APAC between 2016 and 2017
[Mintel, 2018]
We build — Our complete culinary toolkit allows us to build great experiences
We’re able to turn our insights and ideas into reality thanks to the comprehensive ‘tools’ at our disposal. Our wide range of backwardly integrated raw materials ensure long-term, sustainable success. We deliver solutions for labelling requirements and positive claims as well as regulatory and quality assurance.
Many of our solutions occupy market-leading positions — find out more about our range here.
We co-create — our collaborative, tailor-made approach ensures the best results
We utilize an integrated concept development process that places collaborative, multi-functional ways of working at its core. That extends to our relationships with our customers. We work together closely to ensure that the end product both reinforces and elevates their brand position.
How we add value
Harnessing the best of nature and the best of science
Naturalness is one of the most important drivers in the culinary food segment, with consumers looking for naturally sourced, high quality products that are healthy and good for the environment
Our new brand Code of Nature is our answer to these requirements, combining the finest, most responsibly sourced natural raw materials with the scientific know-how to ensure innovative, long-lasting success.
Find out more about how we're supporting health and well-being.
Natural and clean
We deliver taste solutions that meet natural, clean label and regulatory requirements
Backwardly integrated
40% of our strategic raw materials should come from backwardly integrated sources by 2020. We work closely with 10,000 farmers around the world to support sustainable, ecologically and socially compatible agriculture.
From farm to fork
The way we process our 8,500 tons of onion per year exemplifies our 'farm to fork' approach, with nearly 65% of our onions backwardly integrated and sourced from our contracted farmers
Almost zero waste
Onions are “the queen of the kitchen”! We use close to 100% of every onion in our products.
Our range
We create culinary taste solutions for:
Soups & bouillons
Sauces & dressings
Ready meals
Instant noodles
Processed meat
Alternative Protein Products
A closer look at our comprehensive culinary toolkit
Our range comprises of winning taste solutions for all savory applications, delivering authentic food experiences that consumers love
While great taste is at the center of our offering, we also provide complimentary solutions for an authentic meal experience: natural, clean label and high-intensity taste solutions are increasingly at the forefront of what we do.
Our core competence areas
Our core competence areas — meat, vegetables, taste balancing and herbs & spices — enable us to deliver the best taste across each product type.
Meat
Discover Chicken®, Discover Beef® and more...
Authentic meat taste solutions based on local preferences in:
- chicken
- beef
- pork
- meatiness for meatless
Smoke
From smoke flavoring to smoked foods...
Our comprehensive regulatory knowledge leads to a deep understanding of the fit between current flavors and applications to offer a perfect-fitting smoke portfolio
Herbs & spices
A range of over 200 products...
...offering taste profiles from garden herbs to regional spice compounds from all over the world, from single spice extracts to culinary seasonings
Taste balancing
symlife®: health, nutrition and great taste!
Our brand symlife® ensures that the increasing consumer demand for health and nutritional benefits is balanced with great taste. We deliver solutions for:
- masking
- mouthfeel
- sensations
- saltiness
- sweetness
- umami
Learn more on our symlife® microsite
Vegetables
That's Onion!® and more...
Our range of vegetable taste solutions are market leaders thanks to our backwards integration on key raw materials and state of the art flavor technology. We deliver taste solutions for:
- onion
- tomato
- mushroom
- celery, carrot, leek,
- garlic
- culinary compounds like mirepoix and sofrito
Our range in focus: from great-tasting meat alternatives to trend-setting soups
Consumer preferences and priorities are constantly evolving — our products ensure that our customers are able to meet these changes head on
Proudly vegan burgers
Vegetarian, reduced-meat and ‘flexitarian’ diets are increasingly commonplace, as consumers look to products that minimize negative impacts on the world around us. Our vegan taste solutions meet clean label and vegan requirements without compromising on the juiciness, umami and authenticity of great meat flavor.
Download plant protein brochure
Chilled soups
Consumers are stepping away from unwanted and highly processed formats as they seek out more 'freshly cooked' eating experiences. Our taste solutions for chilled soups offer sophisticated flavors from the simplest natural ingredients and home kitchen-style processes.
Trends
From high-quality convenience to guilt-free indulgence
We pride ourselves on creating taste solutions that enable our customers to respond effectively and innovatively to emerging trends in the market
Natural ingredients and clean labelling
All over the world, consumers are communicating a desire for products that utilize fresh, natural and local ingredients, while also remaining chemical, additive and preservative free. Code of Nature is our answer to these demands: unique, high-performance taste solutions that are made with the very best that nature has to offer.
Free-from food and guilt-free indulgence
Going hand in hand with the desire for more natural culinary experiences, comes a desire for healthier culinary experiences. Our creative thinking and trailblazing technologies allow us to offer solutions that are free-from or feature reduced amounts of frowned upon ingredients such as sugar, sodium and fat… all the while maintaining the great taste that consumers still demand above all else.
Chef-driven, high-quality convenience food
Many consumers today are distrustful of food that is (or appears to be) highly processed. Instead, there is increasing demand for ‘crafted’ convenience food that features kitchen-like ingredients and processes. By combining a global network of chefs and flavor designers with the most innovative and increasingly natural raw ingredients, we’re able to deliver ingredients that deliver exactly this.
Authentic local tastes from around the world
Whether it’s the boom in street-style food or the heightened exposure and allure of ethnic and micro-regional cuisine, consumers are looking to introduce new, authentic flavors and qualities to their everyday culinary experiences. Chefs United, our global network of expert chefs from all different culinary backgrounds, is just one of the tools that allows us to stay ahead of the curve and create exciting new flavor solutions.
