FDBusiness.com

Kerry, the Taste and Nutrition company, as part of its ambition to become a market leader in the supply of innovative plant proteins, has just announced a joint venture with Ojah BV, market leading pioneer in the production of plant-based meat alternatives based in the Netherlands.

Kerry Taste and Nutrition will become the majority shareholder of the company, next to Ojah management and Korys, the investment holding of the Belgian Colruyt family. Going forward, Korys and Kerry will co-control the joint venture.  This new partnership will focus on strengthening relations with current customers, establishing international opportunities and developing new plant-based products.

This joint venture combines Ojah’s proprietary technology to produce “best-in-class” plant-based protein products, with Kerry’s 40 years of food focussed heritage, its extensive global insights and marketplace knowledge, as well as its culinary and applications expertise. This will ensure that customers of this joint venture, will be able to future-proof their businesses, by bringing unique and innovative solutions to the market, to meet the nutritional and taste demands of their consumers now and long into the future.

Dr Albert McQuaid, Chief Technology Officer at Kerry, comments: “As we begin to align and work closely with Ojah, we will be striving to work together to combine our collective expertise and knowledge, to bring new and innovative products to market, using the innovation, technological know-how and scientific expertise, which sits at the core of our two organisations.”

Added Frank Giezen, Chief Executive Officer of Ojah, says: “Our aim is to produce innovative, sustainable plant-based protein products to meet the needs of the rising flexitarian consumer. We believe this can be achieved by working closely with Kerry, our new strategic partner, who will bring their global presence and scientific knowledge and know-how, to help us develop even more unique and innovative plant-based food solutions to a global audience while maintaining our ingredient branding strategy.”

Dries Crevits, Executive Director of Korys, explains: “We acquired Ojah just over a year ago, as we saw the potential that this innovative organisation and its products bring to the market.  Now that Kerry has become a joint-venture partner, this potential has increased exponentially and we look forward to seeing where this partnership takes us in the future.”

With mouth-watering taste and texture the Ojah plant-protein product has only two ingredients; plant-based proteins and water.  The product is  non-GMO, gluten free, and totally clean label.  It is manufactured in the Netherlands by Ojah at its BRC-certified facility and sold under the Beeter brand in the domestic market and the Plenti brand internationally.