LATAM-Asia
Chilean astaxanthin firm targets South East Asia opportunity
Chile-based astaxanthin producer Atacama Bio Natural Products S.A. is adding South East Asia to its regional priorities, along with the US and Indian markets.
The company grows its Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae in the Atacama Desert in Chile. The region’s solar radiation makes their manufacturing cost 30% less because it does not have to rely on pumping the microalgae, carbon dioxide injection or oxygen separators, and no requiting artificial lighting, explained the company’s vice president of global marketing, Jose Tomas Arenas.
The company has now set its sight on South East Asian countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore as well as India, Taiwan, and South Korea.
“We believe that having traceability of the origin of your ingredient, and how sustainable it is to produce, is growing in importance in the Asian market,” said Arenas.
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USA
GNC launches personalized vitamin pack subscription service
Supplement brand and retailer GNC has launched a new monthly subscription service, which makes recommendations gleamed from individual health needs, lifestyle goals, and DNA analysis.
In addition to the vitamins and supplements, the service, which is called GNC4U, provides in-depth diet and exercise programs customized for a consumer's individual wellness needs and designed for what their bodies require to achieve peak performance, added the company.
The GNC4U DNA Test Kit (powered by Vitagene) costs $89.99, while pricing for the monthly subscription service is not currently disclosed. Supplement recommendations are based on an individual's age, gender and personal and family health history, according to a press release from the company.
The GNC subscription offering comes hot on the heels of a similar product from The Vitamin Shoppe, which launched its Only Me monthly subscription service last month (September, 2019). However, the Vitamin Shoppe offering does not have a genetic component.
For more on this, please click HERE.
Europe
Cosucra invests in pea processing capacity
Belgian ingredients supplier COSUCRA is renovating and updating a former soybean plant in Aarhus, Denmark to produce pea-based ingrediets. When open, the company’s capacity across two facilities will make it one of the largest pea protein suppliers in Europe.
“The process to refine vegetable protein used similar equipment for soy and pea,” explained Eric Bosly, commercial director for Cosucra. “As the plant is not in use anymore, we [will] adapt the facility, refurbish existing equipment and install new [machinery] to implement our patented pea process. The main advantage is that we are able to be on the market already in 2020 and will be able to support the strong market demand we are observing.”
COSUCRA supplies pea-based ingredients to food sector customers under its Pisane brand. The company is targeting a 50% increase in revenue over the next 3-5 years. While declining to share an exact number in relation to the target, Bosly noted: “With two plants in operation, COSUCRA will be the largest manufacturer in Europe.”
For more on this, please click HERE.
