FDBusiness.com

Univar Inc., a leading global chemical distributor, announced today it has entered into an exclusive agreement to distribute National Starch’s full range of speciality starches in Turkey. This builds on a 20-year partnership between the two companies that has grown to cover the UK, Ireland, Iberia, and the Nordic region.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Univar and have always been impressed by the knowledge and expertise demonstrated by its technical and sales staff. Its development kitchens have also proved a valuable asset,” says Matthias Enste, distributor manager Europe for National Starch. “Now that Univar has an established, Turkish operation in place, the timing is right to expand the scope of our activity to include this dynamic region.”

“National Starch has a wide range of products that have been well-received in other European markets, and we are very pleased to introduce them to our small and medium-sized Turkish customers,” says Neil Blackburn, Univar supplier director food ingredients EMEA. “We see significant opportunities for high-performance, functional starches in this region, particularly in the bakery, ready meals, dairy, savoury, meat, sauces, and dressings sectors.”

The broad range of speciality starch products act as stabilizers and thickeners, which enhance texture and mouth feel, along with a host of other functions.

With a population of over 70 million and a fast-growing, innovative food sector, Turkey is a key territory in Univar’s global food strategy. Univar has a strong local business in the region following the recent acquisition and integration of well-established Turkish distributor, Eral-Protek. Univar now has the infrastructure and customer base in place to bring suppliers’ products to the Turkish food market immediately.