Firmenich and Finlays tea and coffee agreement tipped to brew success for natural beverages

01 Feb 2022 --- Tea, coffee and botanical solutions supplier Finlays has sealed a deal with flavor house Firmenich, which gives Firmenich full sales rights to two core parts of Finlays’ cold-brew coffee and tea extract portfolios in Europe. 

The partnership is pegged to help brands capitalize on growth in natural, sustainably sourced tea and coffee solutions.

“Firmenich and Finlays are joining forces at a time when consumer demand for healthier, natural ingredients has never been higher,” remarks Rachel Jones, Finlays Group’s head of business development.

“Firmenich’s strong market coverage, deep understanding of taste and application know-how will enable Finlays products to reach a broader audience in Europe, helping the food and beverage industry develop innovative recipes featuring tea and coffee ingredients to meet evolving customer expectations.”

Finlays’ cold-brew coffee is crafted using a proprietary process which delivers a distinctly smooth, rich flavor experience.

Under the new agreement, Firmenich is responsible for the full sales process, from commercial relationship to brief management, supported by the Finlays team. The partnership focuses exclusively on Finlays’ ranges of tea and coffee extracts, and covers European markets only.

“The world of natural beverages is a dynamic hotbed of innovation and offers countless opportunities for sustainable growth,” comments Guy Chambers, managing director at Finlays Group.

Financial details of the agreement have not been disclosed. 

Proprietary cold-brew craft
Finlays’ cold-brew coffee portfolio serves a rapidly-growing segment within the European region, and is crafted using a proprietary process which delivers a distinctly smooth, rich flavor experience. 

Cold-brew is the fastest-growing beverage segment in Europe in Ready-to-Drink (RTD)/Iced Coffee, while the average price paid for coffee in supermarkets has risen by 0.8%, according to Innova Market Insights.

The process is being driven by soaring demand for more premium formats, and take-home sales for RTD iced coffee have increased by about 37.6%.

Preserving bioactives potential
Finlay’s company’s tea extract portfolio includes The Wellbeing Collection, a range of premium, all natural tea extracts which are rich in bioactive compounds associated with various health benefits and are sustainably-sourced from Finlays’ own tea farms in Kenya.

Finlay’s company’s tea extract portfolio includes all natural tea extracts that are rich in bioactive compounds associated with various health benefits.

These tea farms have on-site extraction facilities that enable tea leaves to be harvested and extracted on the same day, thereby preserving their fresh flavor and natural bioactive composition.

“Our customers will benefit from Firmenich and Finlays’ combined expertise in product development, streamlining their own innovation and new product development process and helping to create even better products that tap into the natural, well-being and sustainability consumer megatrends,” says Karel Stoschek, VP, Europe of Firmenich’s taste & beyond division.

“Firmenich and Finlays are both privately owned and share a similar, purpose-driven mission of creating healthier food and beverages made from natural and sustainable ingredients,” explains Amaury Roquette, Firmenich VP of naturals platform, creation and portfolio.

Recent business highlights
In recent news on Finlays, Finlays sold its Sri Lankan tea estates to Browns Investments. The deal will include the Hapugastenne Plantations (HPL) and Udapussellawa Plantations (UPL).

Finlays will still be represented in Sri Lanka by Finlays Colombo. Its tea blending and packing operation that sources teas from multiple origins including Hapugastenne and Udapussellawa via the Colombo auction.

Finlays has also seen expansion into the coffee ingredients segment, earlier this year, when the company’s latest installation of a coffee extraction plant at its facility in northern England committed to boosting the cold-brew coffee industry. The growth included upscaling the production of hospitality sectors by 2022.

By Benjamin Ferrer