The Hamburg-based, owner-operated Stern-Wywiol Gruppe is continuing its growth course on the international ingredients market.
Last year, the group made revenues of €444m, again giving it a double-digit growth rate compared with the previous year. Its Hydrosol subsidiary has made an important contribution to this continued positive balance. This stabilising system specialist showed what its success is based on at its recent international Sales Network Event, with the motto 'We make food texture swing.'
'If you want to expand in different markets, you need to develop individual solutions for your customers, but you also need to do more,' explains Hydrosol CEO Dr Matthias Moser. 'Fast, flexible reaction to customer needs and requests are at least as important as innovation-driven new ideas that give customers new value creation opportunities.'
One example is a stabilising system for making whey desserts that Hydrosol originally developed for the Latin American market. This functional system gives cheese producers a way to market their excess whey profitably by taking low-cost yogurt-like desserts to market.
In developing solutions with future potential, there is no substitute for intensive research with modern technology. Likewise, an accurate understanding of the requirements and trends in the various markets is indispensable. So at Hydrosol, Sales and Applications Research work hand in hand, as the international Sales Network Event in Hamburg demonstrated.
Around 100 attendees, including sales partners, representatives and consultants from almost 40 countries presented their successful concepts at the 2-day event, together with Hydrosol R&D experts. For example, to address the ongoing vegetarian trend in Western Europe, meat and fish product specialists presented all-in compounds for vegetarian and vegan alternatives to ground meat, wieners, bratwurst and Bavarian-style meatloaf.
In the deli foods category, the focus was on new developments in the company’s extensive range of integrated compounds for mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is one of the fastest growing categories in Eastern Europe and Latin America. Through close co-operation between Research and Sales, and the use of innovative raw materials, Hydrosol has developed a customer-specific solution for this market that lets mayonnaise producers save money, time and resources.
While trends and customer wishes in different markets vary, sometimes greatly, there are also certain similarities. 'Good taste, safe products and good value for money are three central expectations that consumers in all countries share. With our stabilising systems for dairy products, deli foods and meat, sausage and fish products, we help manufacturers meet those expectations, whether in the premium segment or in the development of value-oriented products. In doing so we place great emphasis on full service. This includes the development of customised stabilising systems, joint product development and upscaling in the on-site production process. Hydrosol will also take unconventional routes if the situation requires it,' added Dr Moser.
'This flexibility is another reason for the company’s close customer relationships and international success. The knowledge and creative potential of our people, together with modern applications research in our well-equipped Technology Centre, are among our key growth drivers. Together with our international network of 16 subsidiaries and numerous qualified foreign representatives, they enable us to meet specific customer needs in the world's key markets,' he concluded.
