The company, a division of Dutch firm CSM, had already been active in India but all sales activities were conducted through the regional office in Singapore.
Purac has confirmed that whilst “the execution of sales activities will continue to be managed from Singapore”, the new office in India will “act as a communication channel between Purac Singapore and its Indian customers.”
Tapping into new opportunities
Frank Goovaerts, Managing Director for Purac Asia Pacific, told FoodNavigator-Asia.com that “given the size of the market and the opportunities taking place in India”, the company felt the need to “get closer” to it, in order to be able to “take better advantage of these opportunities.”
Goovaerts said that Purac already has good business with certain sectors of the Indian food market, namely confectionary, beverage and bakery, but said its “solutions in preservation and nutrition” also allows the company to “tap into new opportunities.”
He added that India is now seen as an emerging market for food ingredients due to the social changes that are currently taking place. “The middle class is growing along with spendable income.”
Furthermore, he said “the retail food portfolio is changing” and this is “opening up opportunities for ingredients suppliers.”
Significant growth ambitions
Goovaerts observed that the opening of this new office now means that Purac has “a good presence in all important food markets in Asia” with the company’s other offices based in Japan, Korea, China, Australasia and Thailand.
He went on to say that “Purac has significant growth ambitions in Asia and India forms a serious part of that ambition.”