Culture for Friends

Issue 19 15 December 2012

Culture for Friends is an international newsletter produced by Euro Business Translations (EBT) Almere, the Netherlands, and distributed to 2200 organisations and individuals worldwide. Copy for future issues of the newsletter, preferably with photo material, is welcome. Video clips can be included, in consultation with EBT. You can send your contribution in any language and we will translate it into English – after all, translation is our business! Culture for Friends is produced by EBT to highlight the cultural and creative activities of companies and individuals, and new revolutionary trends in business enterprises. We look forward to receiving your contributions. Euro Business Translations: Tel. 00-31-36– 540 27 85. Email: josevers@eurobt.nl

Barentz Food Ingredients The engineers behind our food and drink Who makes the food we eat?

Food and health: two sides of the same coin

Bert Dijkink, food processing technologist at L.I. Frank , member of the Barentz Group

More and more people are keen to achieve a healthy lifestyle nowadays, and diet plays a vital role. Countless studies have been devoted to the role our diet Barentz Ingredients: Our food plays in experts in 25 European countries What will people be eating in 20 or 30 years? What makes us change our eating habits?

Sustainable consumption starts by changing our habits. Barentz Food Ingredients, one of the leading players in the food industry, is already working on the spaghetti you will be eating in 2050. Foresight leads to insight, in the food industry as elswhere.

causing or preventing medical conditions such as cardio-vascu-lar disease, obesity or various forms of cancer.

Various international bodies such as EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, keep a watchful eye on our nutrition.

But who makes the food we eat?

Who adds the seed and grain products, minerals, emulsifiers and other ingredients to our butter and margarine, soft drinks, sauces, ice cream, meat products? Barentz Food, with its European headquarters in Hoofddorp near Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands, has been an expert in food and chemical ingredients and cosmetics for nearly 60 years now.

With branches in 25 European countries, Barentz is one of the leading companies in this field. Barentz specialists help to determine what food tastes like, what it feels like in the mouth, its shelf life and attractiveness.

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Mariano Vasconcellos: ”Barentz is known as the specialist of specialties.”

Barentz has been at the forefront of innovation during the 60 years of its existence. The food industry is always fast-changing. As a result the experts, the people who think up and make the ingredients that stand at the start of the food production chain, are continually faced with new challenges. Dedicated staff at Barentz’ advanced Centres of Excellence test and analyse ingredients. They develop healthy solutions such as low-sugar and low fat foods, functional solutions such as foods with a longer shelf life and green solutions such as food without E numbers and finally solutions created specifically to meet consumer requirements. Mariano Vasconcellos:”Our food technologists keep a close eye on the innovations on the market.”

Future healthy trends: ”Better types of salt replacers and new sorts of proteins.”

Mariano Vasconcellos, analytical chemist and food technologist, is Technical Director of the Food Division at Barentz. “Food is my passion,” he says. “Even when I’m on holiday with my wife, I take a good look at the packagings when we walk through the supermarket, because I want to know what ingredients have been introduced. Sometimes I fill my shopping basket with new products we don’t even need.” Mariano is one of the key strategists at Barentz. He built up a lot of experience during his time with Heinz and Unilever, especially in the Savoury & Dressings field - things like soups, sauces, mayonnaise, dressings and tomato products - and was the co-inventor of the soup-in-a-bag concept that started life in the food service segment and is now available in every market. It is his job to notice major problems such as the current high levels of salt in our diet. Common salt, or sodium chloride, contains 40% of sodium which is a serious health hazard as it can lead to high blood pressure and increase the risk of diseases. Barentz has been working with the American company Nu-Tek on the development of a new, improved salt replacer that tastes saltier and does not have the bitter flavour that older products suffered from. Another problem is the growing shortage of proteins that makes it more difficult to get enough protein in our diet. “We need to tackle this problem. We must switch to new forms of protein that are easier to produce,” explains Mariano. “People realise now that you can produce much more vegetable protein than animal protein from the same natural resources. We need to develop completely different types of proteins, such as proteins derived from algae or even from insects.”

Below: Video clip on a new, improved potassium-chloride-based salt reducer developed by Nu-Tek and further refined by Barentz/Vitablend in their Centre of Excellence in the Netherlands.

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Vitablend: Nutritional Fortification and Protection Solutions Vitablend, an ambitious young company based in Wolvega in the north of the Netherlands, was taken over by Barentz Europe in 2008. Vitablend develops and creates custom-made solutions such as nutritional premixes and antioxidant blends that are used to fortify and protect our foods.

Vitablend experts analyse and design baby formulas, special foods for patients in healthcare and for athletes and nutritional drinks in their state-ofthe-art laboratories.

Vitablend boasts a team of highly qualified, experienced food technologists, many of whom have learned the tricks of the trade in big food companies.

Barentz’ CEO Hidde van der Wal and his advisors knew they needed to attract the best people in order to keep ahead of the competition, and they have managed to recruit leading specialists with an outstanding knowledge of the field, wide-ranging experience and a passion for food. Thanks to this high-powered team, Vitablend reinforces Barentz’ leading position on the international market.

Fortification

Protection

Vitablend formulates innovative nutritional premixes for fortification of food products consisting of ingredients like vitamins, minerals, nucleotides, amino-acids and other funtional ingredients.

Vitablend has extensive experience in the design of antioxidant solutions for food and feed products. Antioxidants that protect the nutritional quality of these products by improving their shelf life.

Innovative infant nutrition

Nutrition for the elderly and for hospital patients

Nutritional drinks and sport nutrition

Clean label products Consumers are increasingly demanding clean label products, because they want natural, healthy food. Barentz and Vitablend realise the importance of this trend, and are jointly exploring ways of meeting it without compromising the quality and shelf life of their products. Vice President Kees Schepers of Vitablend Netherlands and Vitablend Singapore:”There is no unambiguous definition of the clean label concept: every manufacturer interprets it in his own way. Some claim that it means products without E numbers, and others that it refers to natural, organic food. At Vitablend, we do our best to meet our customers’ requirements dy devising solutions for specific applications such as improving the shelf life of products.”

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Barentz Food Solutions: ”Giving our favourite foods that special touch” Developing food for babies and children is high-precision work Bert Pott, one of the founders of Vitablend, is currently engaged in the development of ingredients for baby food: he has his own company, which ios active in this field. Bert Pott can look back on ten years of experience with Nutricia. He sees the making of food for babies and young children as a real challenge. “These young people need the very best food we can give them. No mistakes are permitted here: the food simply has to be good, full stop. We enjoy the confidence of the market, because we have developed a comprehensive, effective quality control system embodying so many checks that it’s almost impossible for anything to go wrong. This is definitely high-precision work.”

Kees Schepers elaborates: ”We also supply citric acid, extracted from citrus fruit. It is widely used in mayonnaise, ketchup and beverages. Our citric acid is a top-quality product.

Citric acid is a natural preservative and antioxidant, and is also used to give food a sharp taste and adjust the pH of food products and cosmetics.”

Vitablend employs some 15 food technologists. Their task is to create ingredients for bread, various types of meat products, soups and fish oil. Hidde van der Wal hand-picked them and melded them into one coherent team. The interaction between the specialists yields superb products. Working together at top level to solve complex nutritional problems gives an incomparable feeling of satisfaction. “The atmosphere sometimes gets quite hectic, due to all the acquisitions,” says Kees Schepers.

“But even the most highly qualified people enjoy working for us. The feeling that you are working in a top-class company and the synergy caused by working alongside fellow-experts inspire us.”

Ralph van Hooijdonk, intuitive master baker Ralph van Hooijdonk, is a baker and a recipe-maker at Vitablend. He monitors the market, inspects different types of bread. He develops enzyme blends for biscuits, cakes and bread. “We also make ingredients for bread rolls and we have activities in chocolate products, confectionery and ice cream.” Ralph emphasises: “The art of breadmaking is the best occupation there is. You need a feel for it, and ambition. Ralph knows all the types of bread in Europe. “I am one of the few people to have had a higher technical education in breadmaking.”

baked

Photo left: Bread made with toasted corn germ from L.I. Frank, freshly at Vitablend.

Peter Houben, who started his professional life as a meat expert, is manager of the Meat and Fish Buiness Unit. “One of our specialties is protein blends for the meat and fish industry,” he says. “You learn the tricks of the trade in practice.

I know a lot about process technology, the secrets of how things are made. Boiled ham, for example, is always processed by injecting water, salt and other functional ingredients, or by ’tumbling’ it in the presence of these ingredients.

Special additives are sometimes used in pea extracts to give the right mixture.

We also make thickeners and seasoning such as herb blends for vegetarian products. We are the only company in the Netherlands to create high-quality vegetarian concepts.”

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Barentz’ member L.I. Frank: 260 years’ experience in ingredients LI Frank - Specialist in natural beans and grains L.I. Frank Food Products, founded in 1753 in the Netherlands, is an experienced beans and grains company specialized in processing natural raw materials like lupin, soy and corn into food ingredients.

Beans and grains are natural components that offer a wide variety of functionalities in bread, bakery and new applications like meat and dairy alternatives.

L.I. Frank joined the Barentz Group in 2007 and is world leader in the processing of lupin beans.

General Manager Erik Engbersen of L.I. Frank: ”We make lupin, soy and corn germ products. One of our innovative products is Fralu CPS, a lupin-based mix that can be used for example as a milk replacer in ice cream.”

Lupin is cultivated in various European countries and Australia. The company imports lupin beans from Australia and Germany, but also gets supplies from Dutch growers. Lupin beans are processed in L.I. Frank’s Dutch plant in Twello near Deventer to yield ingredients that are used in a wide variety of products, such as biscuits, cake, bread mixes, slimming tablets and rodent feed. Sales Manager Carrie Lucassen explains the process: ”The lupin beans are cleaned and toasted to inactivate the enzymes they contain, which would interfere with the baking process. Lupin products help to improve the way food feels in the mouth, its structure and the way it can be processed in the food industry.”

L.I. Frank has developed a toasted corn germ derived from European maize, which is an innovation in the food industry. Toasted maize germ adds value to products like bread, tortillas and biscuits, thanks to its delicious flavour and aroma that resembles that of peanuts or other nuts.

AgriNutrition: Experts in animal nutrition ingredients Barentz acquired AgriNutrition, a specialist in raw materials and additives for cattle feed and supplements, in 2012. Alfred Jansen is the founder and CEO of AgriNutrition. General Manager Pieter van den Berg explains: ”AgriNutrition is a big player on the European market, specialising in the distribution of ingredients for agricultural feeds (cattle, chicken and piglet feed), but we also deliver to producers of pet foods (dogs, cats and fish). We supply animal proteins, yeast cultures (beer yeasts) and fish meal substitutes for fish food. Big salmon, trout and eel farms are also among our customers: we supply them with protein products, such as soj proteins and starches for use in fish feed.“ Hungry calf drinking milk replacer 5

Barentz’ pioneering spirit makes all the difference Hidde van der Wal, who has been, at the helm at Barentz since 2002, has provided the impetus that has sparked unprecedented growth during the past decade, making the company a major international player. Developments in Asia have played an increasingly important role here. Kees Schepers, Vice President of Vitablend Netherlands and Vita– blend Singapore, spends a lot of time shuttling between these two spheres of activity. The brand new production facility in Singapore, opened in November 2012 (photo right), is strategically located to serve the main markets of Southeast Asia. “I enjoy the challenge of helping, even indirectly, to improve the quality of food in Southeast Asia,” emphasises Kees Schepers. CEO Hidde van der Wal is also pleased: ”Singapore give us access to countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia.”

”You have to be present on the ground if you want to be a world player,” says Kees Schepers. “Vitablend’s Asian activities are mainly focused on the fortificationof baby foods and on clinical and sports nutrition. Our Protection Business Unit concentrates more on the development of clean label antioxidant blends containing natural ingredients that help to slow the onset of rancidity in dat systems, thus improving the shelf life of food products. A good example is the combination of green tea extract with natural vitamin E.”

Barentz Italia: The art of preparing and enjoying food Barentz further stengthened its position 2012 by the acquisition of Prochifar srl, in Milan. Prochifar’s main focus is on food and feed ingredients. Managing Director Oliver Fox is passionate about Italian food and inspired by the Italian food market. He stresses the importance that Italians attach to good food, well prepared. “Italians always go for quality.” It is not only in fashion, art, architecture and music that they excel, thanks to their strong imagination and powers of visualisation. Food is prezioso in Italy too: cooking and the rituals surrounding the meals, the aperitivos, the digestivos and the socialising around the table are all seen as part of the culinary art and at the same can be very meaningful for the family. That is why Italians are called “i maestri del godimento”, masters of the art of enjoyment. Hidde van der Wal took op the story: ”The acquistion of this leading Italian company, which its strong focus on health and well-being, reinforces our Pan-European ambitions.”

The ambitious 43-year-old Oliver Fox is the right man in the right place to lead the expansion of Barentz Italia. OliverFox: ”I set up Barentz Services Italiain 2005, with the support from Hidde van der Wal’s team. Though we are in the north of Italy - 15 kiloometres north of Milan - we supply ingredients to big food producersthroughout the country.””

Passion for good food. Typical Italian: Oliver Fox “We sell taste, texture and perfection” a plate of carpaccio, lovingly prepared.

“It is a big challenge to work for the Italian food industry, because the Italians are perfectionists. You can see that from their clothes, and from their food too.

Everything has to be just right. The Italians are very keen on pure, natural ingredients, with as little modification as possible. We have a big reputation in the Italian food world. As distributors of highquality and specialty food ingredients, we add taste, texture and refinement with a total focus on quality. Not least because Italians are used to a good life: they want to enjoy things - but above all, they want quality. That is why we focus on exclusive offerings. We don’t present 3 types of vanilla. We just offer the best type. We often have exclusive contracts with our suppliers. We are very strong in bakery, fruit juices and confectionery, but also in meat, savoury dishes and ready meals.”’

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HIDDE VAN DER WAL: THE ENERGISING FORCE BEHIND BARENTZ EUROPE

In the footsteps of Herman Barentz - “Foresight leads to insight” Hidde van der Wal, CEO of the Barentz Group since 2002, joined the company in 1988 after qualifying as a food technologist. He is an experienced international leader and a visionary, with a sharp eye for detail. As CEO and strategist he is responsible for the growth of the business in 25 European countries and for the ongoing expansion into Asia. The company was founded in Amsterdam in 1953 by Herman Barentz, as a producer and distributor of chemical raw materials. He managed it for the first 20 years of its existence, and laid the foundation of the current Pan-European enterprise.

In 1953 Herman Barentz came into contact with the Kodak Eastman Company, commonly known as Kodak, an American multinational and photographic equipment company. Kodak is renowned for having invented the core technology now used in digital cameras.

Herman Barentz, however was much more interested in the activities in the chemical sector. While everyone else concentrated on its photography products, Barentz signed a contract with the company that allowed him to sell chemical raw materials in the Netherlands. Hidde van der Wal is full of praise for Herman Barentz, who guided his initial steps in the business. “He had the unique ability to learn from the past, and to keep looking ahead. Putting the customer at the heart of our thinking, was the fundamental lesson he had in mind. Herman Barentz was a real pioneer, who combined vision, drive and team spirit. He was highly skilled at managing operation s from a distance,” Hidde says.

“We can end world hunger if we really want to” Hidde van der Wal enjoys cooking in his free time. As a result he is keenly interested in nutrition - and in the problem of feeding the world’s population. “The world feeds some 8 billion people every day. Some get 3 meals a day, others 1 or 2, while some get none at all. Efficient food production cuts the cost of food. We can end world hunger if we really want to. The technology to do this already exists.”

“A growing demand for infant formula” “’There are very promising markets in South-East Asia, with huge numbers of young consumers. I ndonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Korea have a combined population of about 500 million, much more than that of Europe. Both men and women have to work here, to make ends meet. The traditional picture of the husband as a breadwinner and the wife whose place is in the kitchen is a thing of the past. There is a clear demand for baby formula. There is a legal obligation to add essential vitamins and minerals to these products. Our production facilities in the Netherlands and Singapore deliver vitamin premixes for infant nutrition.”

The challenge of different culinary cultures Hidde van der Wal sees the different culinary cultures in more than 25 countries as a challenge. ”Food is international nowadays,” he says. “The Italians export spaghetti and other types of pasta, the Netherlands is one of the biggest exporters of potatoes. No one outside of Japan had heard of Sushi 20 years ago. America has introduced the Big Mac everywhere and Heineken and Coca Cola are very popular. Habits change, and food changes with them.

The growth of the world population will lead to different types of Barentz Europe B.V. agriculture. Our dietary pattern will probably be very high tech in Saturnusstraat 15 2132 HB HOOFDDORP 2050, but on the other hand traditional dishes like sausage and The Netherlands www.barentz.com mash, well prepared, will still be a delicacy.”

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