Wild targets young Middle East consumers
of this market to European flavour businesses.
The Germany-based company, which has already established a solid presence in this market, will be exhibiting at Gulfood Dubai next month. The firm said that plans to present new concepts for non-alcoholic malt beverages and innovative fruit mixes for nectars. The company will also show natural ingredients for what it terms 'lifestyle' drinks as well as concepts for milk and juice beverages.
The Middle East is a fast-growing market. To this end, Wild plans to open its first manufacturing facility in the region this year.
The company said that the plant, which is currently being built in the Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai, will have an annual capacity of 75,000 tons and will cater for the markets of the GCC, Levant, North Africa and the Indian Subcontinent.
WILD, which is investing about AED 100 million in the launch phase of this facility, said that it intends to invest more capital within the next five years.
Wild is clearly intent on targeting the region's growing target group of young consumers. Innovative flavour mixes on display at the Gulfood fair will include nectars with a fruit content of 15 to 30 per cent, along with combinations of fruits such as kiwi-lime, red orange mango-pomegranate and even red orange-pink guava-pomegranate.
The firm's Malt Plus X non-alcoholic beverage concept, which is based on the use of a clear malt concentrate in combination with the natural fruit sweetener Fruit Up, will also be displayed.
Wild is the largest privately owned supplier of natural flavour ingredients for the food and beverage industry. The company employs 2,500 people at 16 manufacturing facilities.
