Chr. Hansen opens regional headquarters
The company has opened its new Middle East and Africa headquarters, citing the ground as a potentally golden opportunity for local food producers looking for inspiration and the latest trends.
24/02/05 Chr. Hansen has opened its new Middle East and Africa headquarters, citing the ground as a potentally golden opportunity for local food producers looking for inspiration and the latest trends.
While the company had been active in the region for many years, the office has only been in operation for a few months. Chr. Hansen’s Regional Vice President, Mogens Riber-Nielsen told FoodIngredientsFirst that the upcoming sale of Chr. Hansen has not had any effect on its development. “We continue to invest in the area because we have the belief that what Chr. Hansen is doing today will strengthen its visible presence, also in the eyes of a potential buyer,” he commented.
The new office in Dubai, UAE currently employs 7 people from 5 different nationalities who deal with technical sales, purchasing and customer support. A closely knit network of distributors handle the day to day sales throughout the vast region. “This is a facility to support our major customers in this region. We can use it to invite customers over and to Dubai and provide them with product concepts,” Riber-Nielsen said.
Mr. Jens Laugesen, Sales and Company Manager said, “we are already very well established in the dairy industry in the Middle East and Africa, where we are proud to be doing business with all the major players. In the coming years we will work in even closer partnerships in order to develop new concepts and products. Personally, I believe that probiotic dairy cultures will be “the next big thing” and that the market is just about to take off. We will see a lot of activity in probiotics in the next 12 months alone,” Mr. Laugesen predicts.