Enhancing herbs: Ofi opens processing plant in Egypt to expand innovation capabilities

10 Aug 2023 ---Olam food ingredients (ofi) has opened a new herb processing facility in Beni-Suef, Egypt, to expand its customer offering in basil, fennel, marjoram, parsley and dill. The facility will operate under Dehydro Foods, one of the company’s subsidiaries.

The new roll-out is expected to process “3,000 metric tons” of herbs sourced directly from local farmers yearly. It will work closely with ofi’s global innovation centers to create “optimal solutions for its international customer base.”

Egypt is one of the biggest markets for processing, exporting and growing herbs, with Upper Egypt providing the “ideal growing conditions.”

Commenting on this development, Brijesh Krishnaswamy, president for spices by ofi, says: “Our Egypt teams are focused on maintaining strong relationships with the farmers in our supply chain, advising on quality.”

He adds that its innovation teams can demonstrate the available “savory and culinary opportunities” to its CPG (consumer packaged goods) retailer and food service customers. This includes ofi’s “wider spices, nuts and dairy product portfolio.”

Consumers are driving demand for herbs.The herb age?
The company flags the rising demand for herbs around the world.

Consumers are driving demand for herbs either for “cooking at home” or “savory and culinary” category solutions in the form of ready-to-eat meals, processed meats, sauces and flavorings and as “standalone condiments.”

Furthermore, the rising trend for cooking at home is driving supermarket sales for regional ingredients.

Krishnaswamy highlights the importance of herbs in foods: “Herbs play an important role in contributing to food’s color, fragrance and taste and potentially as a flavor replacement to sodium and sugar.”

This is important at a time when nations across the world are being asked to reduce the salt content in their products. 

With careful processing, dried herbs often retain a “deeper, spicier flavor” than their fresh counterparts, providing a “convenient, shelf-stable” ingredient for bulk purchases. Herbs play an important role in contributing to food’s color, fragrance and taste.

“Choosing the right herbs and where you acquire them from is crucial in terms of retaining integrity and vibrancy,” he underscores.

In a recent conversation with Food Ingredients First, Jill Houk, director of culinary at ofi, shares how ofi uses the “reduce, replace, enhance” model to support its customers by crafting lower-salt products.

Sustainability efforts
Ofi’s latest space is expected to create “75 direct full-time jobs” and source from “around 1,000 farmers.” It aims to work toward ofi’s “sustainability goals” of greenhouse gas emissions reduction, prosperous farmers and “thriving” communities.

The ingredient supplier works “directly and transparently” with farmers to ensure higher-quality, sustainable spice solutions for “reliable” supply. 

Last month, ofi spoke with us about its efforts at upcycling cocoa shells by installing two new bio boilers for its cocoa processing factories in the Netherlands and Germany.

By Insha Naureen