NAGASE Food Ingredients Food Development Center (Xiamen) opens in Fujian Province, China

10-Sep-2019 - Japan

NAGASE & CO., LTD., based in Tokyo, has opened the NAGASE food ingredients Food Development Center (Xiamen) in Xiamen in the Chinese province of Fujian. Located at the Xiamen branch of NAGASE's sales arm in China, Shenzhen Nagase Trading Ltd., the center will be used to develop recipes, conduct presentations and sponsor seminars related to food ingredients handled by the NAGASE Group.

The NAGASE Food Ingredients Food Development Center (Xiamen) is jointly operated and managed by Hayashibara Co., Ltd. (Okayama, Japan), a manufacturing subsidiary of the NAGASE Group, and Shenzhen Nagase. It is the first such facility to be opened overseas under Hayashibara's development project, which has been under way at two L'Plaza laboratories in Okayama and Tokyo. The main target of this facility is the Chinese bakery market (*1), which is expected to reach CNY500 billion (7.4 trillion yen/1CNY=14.8 yen) by the year 2022 (1.7 times the 2017 market size) (*2). The facility will help NAGASE quickly identify the needs of, and propose food Ingredients to, local food manufacturers, mainly in the bread and confectionery market. At the same time, this facility will provide a platform for food development specialists to conduct research and will serve as a base for joint businesses with local manufacturers. NAGASE hopes to expand its presence in the food industry of Fujian Province and other Chinese regions.

The NAGASE Food Ingredients Food Development Center (Xiamen) is equipped with commercial ovens, mixers and other bakery equipment, as well as analysis equipment to measure food water content and other elements. The facility will provide space for test production and development utilizing various food ingredients, including Hayashibara's mainstay product TREHA (R), a multi-functional disaccharide, and enzyme preparations manufactured by a NAGASE Group manufacturing subsidiary, Nagase ChemteX Corporation (Osaka, Japan). Further, the facility will be permanent home to Hayashibara's food development technology specialists involved in food ingredient applications development to provide information and technology about food security and safety, a special strength of Japanese food manufacturers.

Prior to the opening of the NAGASE Food Ingredients Food Development Center (Xiamen), the NAGASE Group began activities to promote its food ingredients business in China. These activities included a special Chinese-language website for food ingredients in China handled by the NAGASE Group and an official account on the popular WeChat social media app (*3) offering recipes and other information about using NAGASE products. NAGASE expects this type of community-based approach and communications through the new development center will allow the group to respond more quickly to local customer needs.

NAGASE has defined the life and healthcare field as a focus area for growth under the group's "ACE-2020" mid-term management plan, which runs through fiscal 2020. The NAGASE Group will continue to maximize synergies among its food ingredients businesses, aiming to grow sales and expand the group's presence in overseas markets.

*1 Breads, cakes, confectionery, Chinese confectionery, etc.

*2 Euromonitor International survey

*3 Official WeChat account: TREHA (Required to download the WeChat app to view)

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1162711/nagase-food-ingredients-food-development-center-xiamen-opens-in-fujian-province-china.html