Indian expansion: Alland & Robert enters acacia gum joint venture with Sayaji

12 Apr 2019 --- Acacia gum supplier Alland & Robert has entered into a joint venture with India-based company Sayaji Industries Limited. As a result of this joint venture, Alland & Robert and Sayaji Industries will each take an equal share (50:50) in the newly formed Alland & Sayaji. The partnership is embodied by a brand new name and logo. Alland & Robert, a family-owned company and expert in this field since 1884, will primarily focus on manufacturing and supplying premium quality spray dried acacia gum for the growing Indian market.

“India is, with the United States, one of the largest importers of acacia gum,” Anne-Sophie Alland, Head of Strategy and Development, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. “Furthermore, India imports mostly crude gum, which the Joint Venture Alland & Sayaji will be manufacturing and spray drying. For these reasons, we believe the growth potential in the Indian market is extremely important. Besides India, the Joint Venture will be serving Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh,” she adds.

Acacia gum, also known as gum Arabic or E414, is a natural, safe and healthy ingredient used in flavors, beverages, confectionery, dairy, bakery, dietary products, pharma and cosmetics among others. Acacia gum is today found in thousands of day-to-day products all over the world.

“The Joint Venture will principally target the main food industries using acacia gum: flavors, confectioneries and beverages,” Anne-Sophie Alland notes. “But in addition to these applications, we wish to provide something more in the medium term: we hope to target also the Indian consumers, as acacia gum is already used in traditional meals and in Indian cooking. We also want to focus on drinks providing gut health, because this is a rising trend and acacia gum is a perfect match for it,” she notes.

Sayaji Industries Limited, which was founded in 1941 is a family company, just like Alland & Robert. The company operates several offices in India and an office in the United Arab Emirates. They also have an agent network in Africa and in the Middle East. 

Sayaji is one of the largest Indian manufacturers and exporters in the starch industry. They also are a pioneer company in the corn wet milling business (through their company Maize Products). On top of that, they have a number of subsidiaries and affiliate companies involved in other businesses like hybrid seeds, real estate and packaging solutions.

“Sayaji IngriTech LLP is a manufacturer of spray dried food powders such as tomato powder or cheese powder. The Joint Venture will be spray drying acacia gum in their state-of-the-art facility,” says Alland. “Sayaji Industries is strongly present on the Indian food & beverages market and we have many common customers. We are thus very complementary and that is why we expect Alland & Sayaji to be a success,” she adds.

The move comes as part of Alland & Robert’s expansion, but Anne-Sophie Alland stresses that more specifically, the company is always looking at innovating and providing customers with the best quality possible. “That is why we are focusing on growing our organic portfolio, and offering premium ingredients. We have massively invested in Research & Development over the last few years, and this will allow us to create high value products, for example blends of natural gums with synergistic effects,” she adds.

Mr. Priyam Mehta, CMD, Sayaji Industries Ltd. says: “We are delighted to join hands with Alland & Robert, a company that has been an expert in this field since 1884. We will leverage the expertise of both companies – Sayaji Industries’ strong presence in the Indian Food & Beverage market and Alland & Robert’s unique technological know-how. We are looking forward to working closely with Alland & Robert on developing this partnership.”

Last October, fellow French-headquartered acacia gum supplier, Nexira and India-based spice oleoresins leader, Synthite entered a partnership to produce acacia gum at Synthite’s manufacturing plant near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, southern India.

This week our sister website NutritionInsight reported how Alland & Robert and Nexira were among an industry group moving forward with a plan to submit a citizen’s petition to the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to classify gum acacia as a dietary fiber. The group is hoping for approval with the agency this spring.

“The United States are a very important market for Alland & Robert,” says Anne-Sophie Alland. “We cannot speculate about the FDA conclusions and we hope for the best,” she concludes.

By Robin Wyers