Danisco Brewing and Beverage Enzyme Organisation Ready to Accelerate Growth

The new ambitious state-of-the-art brewing and beverage enzyme application facility is located at Danisco’s largest innovation centre. With this addition to our business, and the leadership change, we are geared to take a large share of the world market for food enzyme applications.

04/02/09 Danisco’s brewing and beverage enzyme application facility will move to Brabrand, Denmark. New ASPAC activities are also escalated to meet rising segment demands.

One of the main areas for growth in the food ingredients industry is food and beverage enzymes. Danisco, as the leading global food ingredients supplier, has prepared its organisation to capitalise on this growth opportunity. The European innovation activities within brewing and beverage enzymes, until now based in Stockport UK, will be consolidated in the innovation centre at Brabrand. The state-of-the-art facility will be operational by May 2009 and is part of an overall double-digit million kroner investment plan in the Brabrand site.

‘The consolidation will optimise collaboration with other functions at Danisco’s largest innovation site, increase speed of product and application development and result in better customer support,’ says Hans Elbek Pedersen, Vice President, SAFI Innovation, Danisco.

Effective 1 February 2009, Aart Mateboer, currently Director of Product Management, Food Enzymes, is appointed to the position of Business Unit Director, Food Enzymes. Aart Mateboer will maintain his current area of responsibility in his new role as Business Unit Director as well as take over the responsibilities of the current Business Director, who will move to a new position outside Food Enzymes. With this change Aart Mateboer will take leadership in growing the food and beverage enzyme business in Genencor and will continue to report to James Laughton, Executive Vice President, Food Enzymes and Animal Nutrition, Genencor. Aart Mateboer joined Danisco in June 2008 after having held global marketing positions with multinational companies like Cargill and Akzo Nobel.

The new lab will be headed by newly appointed Group Manager and Senior Application Specialist Lars Boe Larsen from Royal Unibrew. Lars Boe Larsen has a background as a chemical engineer and 12 years of experience within the European brewing industry.

‘The new ambitious state-of-the-art brewing and beverage enzyme application facility is located at Danisco’s largest innovation centre. With this addition to our business, and the leadership change, we are geared to take a large share of the world market for food enzyme applications – a world market estimated at approx. USD 800 million,’ says James Laughton, Executive Vice President, Food Enzymes and Animal Nutrition, Genencor.

In Shanghai, Danisco has created a fully equipped brewing lab at the existing innovation centre to be able to serve a major part of ASPAC regionally. In connection with the strengthening of the ASPAC region, Danisco welcomes Leman Zhang as Brewing Application Specialist. He has a background as Fermentation Engineer and Brewmaster with previous experience from Beck’s FuJian Brewery and several ingredients companies in China.

Going forward, Danisco is confident that the consolidated brewing and beverage enzyme innovation organisation will provide a strong technology platform for Danisco’s future growth.