Prinova‘s footprint covers North and South America, EMEA and South East Asia. For large global food companies looking to deliver globally consistent products, this scale offers security and reliability of supply.
“We offer customers a vertically integrated global platform. This is unique, there are no other companies with the depth and breadth of our distribution platform feeding into premix production.”
Global manufacturers are not just concerned about commodity prices; at uncertain times like this, continuity of supply and informed decision making are also critical.
“Customers need a partner they can rely on. We can plug right into their business and offer advice on everything from what commodities to buy and when, to how far in the future they should order certain ingredients. What we do is remove the risk.”
During the pandemic, Prinova has seen demand for nutrients like vitamin C and D increase dramatically, to meet growing demand for immunity products. Another impact of the pandemic has been on customers who, working from home, feel removed from the market. This is where a reliable global partner can make the difference.
“Manufacturers are dependent on global supply chains. If you don’t have the scale to deal with unforeseen situations, such as fewer shipments, then you might find yourself in a vulnerable position.”
Lose an integral ingredient for months or even weeks and it could blow significant holes in production planning, leading to products not getting to market on time.
On-trend blended solutions
Prinova utilise their leading market position in ingredients such as vitamins and amino acids and make nutrient blends in manufacturing facilities across three continents.
“This is the premix blending side of the business,” explains Kelly. “We have formulation and market experts working across specific categories, helping us to identify emerging trends and deliver custom premixes tailored to fortify a wide range of finished product applications.”
These blends range from vitamin blends that end up in energy drinks to food enrichment blends that end up fortifying cereals. Prinova’s solutions also end up in everything from infant formula to pet food.
“Infant formula is an interesting sector for us at the moment. We have developed nanoparticle-free ingredients, in response to increased demand from our customers. We are the only supplier globally that can offer this.”
Vitamin D is one the world’s hottest micro-nutrient right now, in part due to growing consumer awareness of its health benefits and associations with immune health. For children and teenagers in particular, D vitamins are essential for the development of healthy bones and teeth, for muscle function, normal neurotransmission, blood clotting, and digestive enzymes. Women who are pregnant or lactating, or experiencing the menopause, need vitamin D for its ability to promote better calcium absorption.
This is an area that is very much on-trend at the moment, and the firm’s line of nanoparticle-free vitamin D powders, with vegan options, enable food, beverage and nutrition businesses to tap into this growing demand.
“Sports nutrition is another area we excel in and is a segment that has become increasingly sophisticated. 15 to 20 years ago, this was a sector with poor tasting products and an image of bodybuilders. Now it is completely mainstream, to the extent that the lines between ‘sports’ and ‘nutrition’ are blurred. To be honest, we think of this sector more in terms of nutrition in general, taking into account not just sports but also concerns like wellbeing, anti-ageing and immunity.”
Other interesting sectors include the functional beverage market. Kelly identifies room for growth in drinks enriched with focused formulae, such as amino acids combined with vitamins. Prinova also offers solutions targeting gut health - another growth sector.