The statement of intent follows a visit to the Denmark-based ingredients firm by Chinese President Hu Jintao in June.
“We certainly want to contribute positively to the development of China and our customers,” said Christian Kühl, regional vice president, Asia, Pacific & Middle East. “Our vision of improving food and health fits very well with the market trends in China as well as the key objectives of China and its newly released five year plan to improve food safety and health.
"From a very modest start Chr. Hansen has grown to have a leading market position in China. Our 10 year anniversary marks the beginning of a long term commitment for Chr. Hansen in China. The business has seen remarkable development and growth since 2002 and I expect that we will grow many-fold in the coming decade.
“We have a great team with very dedicated people and strong business partnerships. That is exactly why we continue to invest heavily in the market and continuously upgrade our capabilities.”
Dynamic market
Chr. Hansen is a major dairy culture supplier in the Chinese dairy market and is also a strong player within natural colors. George Teng, Country Manager, Chr. Hansen China, said: “China is a dynamic market and Chinese customers require value adding services beside high quality products. To keep providing more innovative, technical and marketing knowledge we have established close partnerships with major players in the dairy industry.
“We have seen the unique characteristics of the Chinese market and customers and we will continue developing products tailormade to serve their specific needs.
“Our range of E-number free natural colors from fruits and berries, FruitMax is a good example of that. As more consumers demand a clean label, Chinese food manufacturers are seeking support to remove the artificial ingredients they used to work with.”