Roquette and Barentz confirm strong future partnership in Food in Europe

Roquette, a global leader in plant-based ingredients for Food, Nutrition and Health markets, has reconfirmed Barentz as the preferred distribution partner for the Roquette food product range in Europe. This new partnership with Barentz is driven by Roquette’s strategic plan to implement the best high-performance distribution network to support its position as a world leading provider of outstanding, reliable plant-based ingredients.

Having worked together successfully in Food and Nutrition markets for many years, Roquette and Barentz’s decision to take their partnership to the next level is a logical step. Laurent Cousin, Head of Global Distribution Management at Roquetteexplains it: “Roquette is committed to providing its customers with high quality plant-based ingredients as well as an excellent level of service and we have strong growth ambitions to better serve our customers worldwide. Barentz has been a key partner for many years with added value in terms of their specialized expertise, research teams and local labs. We have always been growing together and we strongly believe in our cooperation in the market for high quality specialties.”

Geert Ingelbert, Vice President of the Food Division at Barentz, shares this confidence and enthusiasm: “We know each other’s business very well and we have been growing together year after year. In addition to our proven joint capability to improve growth, profitability and productivity, we have also convinced our partner Roquette of our in-depth knowledge, strong technical support, and our drive for innovation.Our mutual interest and expertise in plant-based ingredients is the best example of this.”

Focus on strong and strategic markets in Europe
Roquette and Barentz are reconfirming their collaboration across key strategic European markets: Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Turkey. Between now and the end of 2018, both companies will work together to ensure optimal alignment in all countries. This new phase of cooperation will officially start from 1 January 2019.

Innovation in products, marketing, distribution and partnership
The new partnership will take off from the proven solid distribution network that Barentz has built up over the years. Both Roquette and Barentz will challenge each other to innovate on all business levels. “It makes a huge difference when you know that you both have the same level of ambition and drive,” Ingelbert explains.“One of our core values is loyalty. We walk our talk. And we never stop, we go all the way. For us, this renewed partnership means that our loyalty and dedication to growing our joint business have definitely paid off. The next steps in our relationship will be characterized by innovation and a proactive approach. We are really looking forward to this new, challenging era.”

Rodney Quin, Vice President, Food Global Business Unit at Roquette, highlights another aspect of this success story: “It’s encouraging that our long-lasting relationship, with its strong focus on a shared investment in better service for our customers, has also led to a unique cooperation in the business of plant-based specialties. We are looking forward to achieving further developments together with Barentz, and making the most of the new opportunities that lie ahead of us. By offering solutions increasingly tailored to the needs of Food, Nutrition and Health markets, this collaboration will contribute to better answer a growing customer and consumer demand. ”