Taura Natural Ingredients strengthens US market

TAURA Natural Ingredients is riding on the thriving US healthy single-serve snack foods sector to boost sales.

 

The company has generated double sales in the US in real fruit pieces in the last three years, owed largely to recent agreements to supply fruit ingredients to companies in the healthy single-serve snack foods line in the US, said CEO Peter Dehasque. Many of these clients are new entrants in the sector. 

 

 

With sales estimated at $7.3 billion a year and growing at a CAGR of 7.9%, the US is currently the fastest-growing market for snack bars, according to a market analysis conducted for Taura Natural Ingredients by CPL Business Consultants.  

 

Mr. Dehasque noted a huge increase in the number of entrepreneurs entering the US healthy snacks category offering premium concepts and natural health and wellness, convenience, and great taste to meet consumers’ demands. 

 

“In particular, there’s increasing demand for snack foods that are certified GMO-free, gluten-free, Kosher and organic. Our high quality real fruit pieces and pastes are the perfect match for products carrying these claims and, as sales of added-value snacks have taken off in the States, so have our US sales. Three of our top 10 customers globally are now US companies, with the nutritional bar and toddler snack sectors accounting for the highest share of our US sales,” he stated.

 

Taura Natural Ingredients produces its fruit materials in Belgium and New Zealand using a unique process called Ultra Rapid Concentration (URC). This concentrates the taste, texture, and natural goodness of fruit into pieces, flakes, and pastes for various applications, including nutritional snack bars, fruit snacks, chocolate, baked goods, and confectionery.

 

With the snacks market becoming increasingly crowded and competitive, Mr. Dehasque said existing players and new entrants are looking for ingredients that will give their products an edge. 

 

“The companies we work with want the very best fruit ingredients for their products, and our URC fruit ticks all the right boxes for them in terms of taste, shelf life, quality, healthfulness, and easy processing. However, they’re also looking for innovative suppliers who aren’t afraid to think outside of the box, who are willing to push the boundaries and take snacking to new levels. This creative ethos is the backbone of our company and influences everything we do.”