Chilean Expansion Continues for Naturex

Naturex, the natural ingredients manufacturer, inaugurated the expansion of its factory in Linares, Chile in the presence of State representatives, local officials, the French Embassy, staff, and company partners.

Thierry Lambert, President and Olivier Rigaud, Chief Executive Officer, invited participants on a tour of the newly designed factory specializing in quillaia extraction and purification.

During his speech, Olivier Rigaud commented on the group’s ambition to conquer new and emerging markets along with the important role of creating long-term value through quillaia, a highly sustainable resource, as part of this plan. He also emphasized the success of the group’s development strategy and its orientation towards a sustainable future.

One year after the acquisition of Chile Botanics, the factory has been totally rebuilt to offer extended capabilities. The group has doubled the number of local employees to match the size of the expanded facility. Today, the site is fully dedicated to the extraction and purification of quillaia, a native evergreen tree that can be used as a foaming agent and emulsifier. Future projects will aim at diversifying the production site and processing other local botanicals. “We have increased our production capabilities by 10 and it will help us gain significant shares of the quillaia market,” said Olivier Rigaud, CEO. The ingredient is most widely used in the beverage industry, but the group has recently extended the range of applications to flavor and color emulsions.

The Linares facility is based close to quillaia harvesting areas in the south of Chile. This ensures that the high quality extracts are produced sustainably from an abundant source in line with the objectives of the Pathfinder sustainability strategy. Moreover, the company fully manages the process of extraction and purification in a dedicated factory, guaranteeing full traceability. Following the new organization and design of the factory, Naturex successfully achieved the requirements set forth by the Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000), one of the highest levels of certification in food safety management systems.

“We have strong ambitions in Chile and Latin America,” stated Olivier Rigaud. “After the acquisition of Chile Botanics, it seemed natural to invest in this factory in order to be able to answer the need for natural ingredients in the Latin America region and better respond to worldwide demand.”