Doehler Acquires Teawolf, Strengthens its Position in Trending Botanical Extracts

The acquisition of Teawolf was made in May 2016, but promoted at IFT 2016 in Chicago. It will complement Doehler South Africa (Pty), which was formed in 2014, following the acquisition of Afriplex. Synergies are likely between the two portfolios. The move for Teawolf comes as part of a goal to be stronger in botanical extracts, which should result in more acquisitions for Doehler.

“Teawolf fits very nicely into our portfolio of natural ingredient solutions. We really believe that there is a big future in plant based extracts as people look to get more nutrition directly as it is seen in nature,” Doehler’s CEO Americas, Patrick O’Keefe, (pictured) told FoodIngredientsFirst at the show. “It was a good fit for us. We already had Doehler South Africa through our Afriplex acquisition. They are primarily a dry botanical extract supplier (e.g. rooibos and baobab), whereas Teawolf is exclusively liquid – so it gives us a very nice synergistic dry and liquid versions of each other and is therefore a good addition to the portfolio.”

 

Greg Robertson, Founder & Vice Chairman of Teawolf was excited about this new partnership. “Doehler has a very similar philosophy and go to market strategy with regard to natural products and ingredients. This is what the consumer wants. It is what the food and beverage industry is responding to and what we offer to support it with these ingredients.”

 

“For us to partner with a company and be part of the Doehler Group where our ingredients fit so harmoniously into their existing portfolio, from juices to natural colors and ingredient systems and put our tea and coffee expertise into this, makes the whole company that much stronger. We are very excited to bring their products to our customers and taking our products to their customers globally,” Robertson (pictured) told FoodingredientsFirst in Chicago. “Doehler is well known internationally and it is very satisfying to see that our products are moving into other parts of the world and how our people at Teawolf have an opportunity to grow within a much larger organization that has the same philosophies and the same belief system when it comes to health & wellness,” he added.

 

Teawolf notes in its promotion that guayusa (gwhy-you-sa) is a super leaf found only in the Amazonian rainforest in Ecuador. Brewed like tea, guayusa offers “clean, focused energy by balancing as much caffeine as coffee with twice the antioxidants of green tea.” There are no tannins in the guayusa leaf, so it lacks the bitter taste associated with some green or black teas. Teawolf, in collaboration with RUNA, offers a range of commercially available, water soluble, premium guayusa extracts in both liquid and powder formats.

 

Robertson notes: “Guayusa is one of the faster growing new botanicals into the beverage industry. It has such a fantastic nutritional profile with a high caffeine content packaged together with twice the polyphenol content of green tea and a smooth, sweet taste.”

 

Doehler presented concepts at the show with guayusa, while Teawolf showcased a brand of RTD teas and natural energy beverages based on guayusa from RUNA. RUNA is a vertically integrated manufacturer of guayusa based beverages and buys the leaves from over 2,300 farming families in the Amazon rainforest before processing in a plant in Ecuador and shipping to the US, where Teawolf does the extraction work for their beverages.

 

O’Keefe notes: “Guayusa is extremely popular in Ecuador and Peru, but it grows pretty much in the wild so the supply chain for the product is limited at the moment. So we have linked up with the branded company called Runa, who are trying to not only introduce a product in a RTD and dry format to the US. They are also vertically integrating the supply chain and organizing it in Ecuador, to get more farmers to grow it. So it is expanding month to month.” He noted that supply can be almost unlimitedly expanded as guayusa is a plant that grows in the wild and be harvested. There are no set harvest times.

 

Teawolf is also strong in hibiscus, where it offers a range of commercially available, water soluble, premium hibiscus extracts in both liquid and powder formats. The complete hibiscus line caters to virtually every food and beverage application in products such as energy drinks, smoothies, ice creams, sorbets, ice teas and more.

The deep, rich, all natural burgundy-red color allows hibiscus to be used as a natural colorant. “Hibiscus is one of the more well-known botanicals around the world, specifically in Latin America, Central America and South East Asia. Now it is getting more popular in the US and we believe it is close to a tipping point there,” says Robertson.

 

At IFT, Doehler presented Integrated Flavor Solutions that take visitors to the trade fair on a multi-sensory world tour. The flavor portfolio ranges from popular flavors such as apple, orange and pineapple to trend flavors like melon and blossom flavors, and even herb and spice extracts.

 

Additionally at IFT, Doehler presented its comprehensive portfolio of colors, coloring concentrates and color extracts. The color range covers every tone and shade, ranging from pure white and bright yellow to warm orange and shining red tones, all the way to the new green and blue nuances. For the confectionery industry, Doehler presented high-quality coating systems that stand out through their perfect appearance. The company highlighted the integration of the former Molda business into their portfolio (now known as Doehler Dahlenburg) technology into new product concepts.
 
By Robin Wyers