Solbar expands European soy interests to Finland

Solbar's selection of Danetto Food as its distribution partner for soy proteins in Finland is the latest initiative designed to strengthen the firm's position in the European soy protein sector.

The agreement with Danetto, which is already Solbar's distributor in Denmark, Sweden and Norway, will specifically target the Finnish meat and poultry sector.

"Danetto's proven expertise in supplying meat and poultry manufacturers is the main reason for Solbar to expand this already successful cooperation," said Gary Brenner, vice president of marketing and sales at Solbar.

Dennis Petersen, managing director of national sales at Danetto, said that Solbar should be a serious alternative to current soy suppliers of the Finnish meat industry.

Solbar has already established new distribution channels in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland for its range of speciality soy protein concentrates, isolates and textured products. The Israeli firm selected Prograst spol as its partner in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Meanwhile, Regis SP, a leading distributor of ingredients for the food processing industry, has been added to the company's distribution network in Poland. The company is one of the primary Polish manufacturers of functional and seasonal blends for the meat and poultry industry.

The establishment of these new distribution channels, which also cover France and the Benelux countries, are part of the group's re-organisation. This is designed to enable the company to capitalise on the growing demand for soy protein ingredients.

Isolated proteins for example, are currently growing by between seven and eight per cent on the global market each year.

Solbar is the third biggest provider of soy proteins, after soy heavyweights Solae and ADM, both of which are based in the US. However the company feels that its small size allows it to concentrate on innovative products and focus on key issues for food makers such as the colour of the soybeans, which is affected by the soil in different regions.

The firm has been growing by around 30 per cent on an annual basis for the last 10 years. And the recently announced distribution agreements across Europe could therefore help Solbar achieve greater efficiency to meet growing regional demand, with Finland the latest target.

"We look forward to take on the responsibility of distributing some of the best functional soy concentrates, textured and isolated soy proteins from Solbar Industries," said John Johnke, managing director of international sales at Danetto.