The Israeli firm opened its new branch and commenced ‘low-key’ operations at the beginning of 2012. Focus will be on sales, technical, marketing and client support for the biotech company’s ingredients operations in the local market.
“We had to bridge the distance between Israel and China,” Pinni Raveh, business development manager at Enzymotec told FoodNavigator-Asia.
“Shanghai was selected for the location as it is a very good access point and one of the big influencers for business in China,” Raveh said.
The office was established to support business activities in China in response to growing demand in this market across all of Enzymotec’s business divisions, he said.
China promises
“China is growing and becoming more and more important to us. There is a lot of activity and potential for us in this market,” Raveh said.
He noted that Enzymotec has stronger business operations in Western markets but that in Asia, China is the “most promising”.
Both the Infant Nutrition and Bioactive divisions will be focused in the Shanghai office and, “within a few months we will have a clearer idea on which is the most dominant branch,” he added.
Raveh said that a local presence is important as it will enable the company to respond faster and more efficiently to clients’ needs.
The office and its operations are currently small, he said, but depending on interaction and business growth in the Chinese ingredients market, Enzymotec will expand accordingly.
According to the Dr Ariel Katz, CEO of Enzymotec, this move marks part of a wider global strategy to expand commercial activities and maintain a local presence in markets it operates in.