Zeelandia and Fine Organics Launch Joint Venture in India

23 Jan 2015 --- Zeelandia and Fine Organics have set up a joint venture in India. Fine Zeelandia will serve India and neighbouring markets with dry and liquid baking ingredients, most of which will be produced locally. Establishing the Indian joint venture means that Zeelandia now has a permanent local presence in all five BRICS countries.

Fine Zeelandia will be based in Mumbai and is a 50/50 joint venture between Zeelandia and Fine Organics, which has been Zeelandia’s distributor in India since 2001. The joint venture will start approaching the Indian market in Q1 2015, initially with imported Zeelandia products. The current, dedicated sales team at Fine Organics will be transferred to Fine Zeelandia. In cooperation with regional distributors, the joint venture will cater to customers throughout the country, as well as in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Within its first year of operation, Fine Zeelandia will also prepare a fully equipped production site for bread and patisserie mixes, Carlo release agents, Finagel cake gel and Paletta jellies. “We are already active in food additives and emulsifiers, amongst other products. This Joint Venture with Zeelandia is an important way for us to secure a share of the growing market in India for specialised bread and pastry ingredients and similar products”, says Jayen Shah, Director of Fine Organics. Adds Guido Janssen, Zeelandia CCO: “This will speed up local deliveries and make Zeelandia prices more competitive by eliminating the import process for most products”. Specialty products, including Carlex release agents, fondant and marzipan will continue to be sold on an import basis.

According to Zeelandia CEO Roelof Krist, the joint venture fits seamlessly into Zeelandia’s strategy. “We want to strengthen our global position through local partnerships and local production. We’ve already established a permanent local presence in China, Brazil, Russia, South Africa and Turkey. India is a logical next step: it’s a huge growth market, especially for confectionery but increasingly for bread as well.” “In Fine Organics we also have a solid partner: like Zeelandia, it’s a strong family business with a great track record in product innovation. We’ve worked together successfully for years and are confident that the joint venture will pave the way for further growth.”