Brenntag is excited to announce the opening of the new Food Application and Development Centre (FA&DC) in Johannesburg, South Africa. Aptly named, The Heart of Africa, this new facility forms part of the greater EMEA Food & Nutrition network of Application and Development Centres supporting not just the Southern African Food sector, but also Brenntag’s local food teams in East and West Africa.
The FA&DC is an integral part of Brenntag‘s strategy in South Africa, to enable the growth of Food Solutions to both existing and new customers and suppliers and to attract other world-class, local and international suppliers in search of a suitable and reputable partner in the region. “The new centre enables us to focus on more pro-active, value-added and customised developments and provide that step change in our solutions and service offerings to our valued customers. Macro-economic drivers and emerging food trends such as plant-based diets have created a need for activities related to research and development and applications to become outsourced. Our facility will bring this service closer to the South African and African Food Industry,” says Annette Dann, Head of Applications and Development, Brenntag South Africa.
The Food & Nutrition business of Brenntag in South Africa is built on decades of relationships with leading international food ingredient manufacturers. These partnerships have positioned the team in convenience foods, confectionery, bakery, beverages, and dairy over the years. “This brand-new FA&DC enables us to deliver more than just the high-quality ingredients to our extensive customer network, it allows us to collaborate with both our principals and customers to create concepts and solutions tailored to the customer’s brief. Within Brenntag Food & Nutrition, the local Food team will have access to a global network of innovation and applications on major food trends which will expand our offerings into other savoury applications in the future,” explains Leanne Rossouw, Business Manager Brenntag Food & Nutrition, South Africa.
The new site, located in the Pomona business district in Johannesburg, is dedicated to the Life Science business. In addition to the FA&DC, it also houses a liquid flavour blending facility where Brenntag blends tailor-made flavours for a diverse range of customers in the Confectionery, Bakery and Sport Nutrition sectors. Furthermore, the team is able to cater to all customer demands regarding packaging ranging from drums to polycans. A modern state-of-the-art repacking line is yet another feature of this site. Repacks are a value-added service that is synonymous with Brenntag, catering to the exact demands of the Food & Nutrition, Nutraceutical and Pharma sectors in Southern Africa. All repackaging is performed and supported by the dedicated Quality and Regulatory teams.