Kerry has acquired Jining Nature Group to expand authentic local and regional taste technologies, as well as add application capabilities to the Kerry portfolio. 

“Growth of our savory taste business across Asia is core to our Global Savory taste strategy. The acquisition of Jining Nature complements our capabilities in this market, and we look forward to accelerating our position in the key categories of Meat, Snacks and Instant Noodles,” John Savage, Taste CEO at Kerry, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

Jining Nature Group is a Chinese manufacturer of savory flavors, seasonings and prepared food products. The company also holds well-established nationwide positions in the savory flavor and prepared foods sectors in China. 

Accelerating in flavors
Jining Nature Group will help expand Kerry’s China customer base by providing more in-depth access to the country’s large regional markets via existing and well-established distribution and foodservice channels. 

Savage flags that consumers are continuing to look for truly authentic taste experiences. 

“We have seen from our 2021 Taste Charts that because consumers are unable to travel due to COVID-19 restrictions, they are attempting to recreate authentic global experiences,” he explains. 

“For example in Europe, this is reflected through a rise in Korean, Indian, Thai and Greek cuisine.”

Milestone for savory taste strategy
The acquisition will enable the company to offer a full suite of savory offerings in the region alongside its existing comprehensive sweet and beverage flavor portfolios. 

According to Savage, the deep understanding from the Jining Nature team of local cuisine will enable Kerry to create truly authentic taste solutions across a wide range of applications and channels.

“In addition, capabilities in Jining Nature are highly complementary to our Authentic Savory platform, which includes Smoke, Stocks and Fermentation along with a leading portfolio of Savory flavors,” Savage continues. 

“The potential for this acquisition when coupled with our long-standing business in China and wider savory capability is hugely exciting.”

Savory tastes reign
In November, Kerry embarked on a new campaign, Explore Umami and Kokumi, that invited food product developers to access the company’s extensive resources on the two tastes. The company also developed an industry-first taste lexicon for umami and kokumi and a portfolio of clean label solutions in this space. 

At the time, Kay Marshallsay, Kerry’s global product director for fermentation, said: “We first spoke to chefs across Asia about how they create umami and kokumi tastes and then worked to develop ways to make these scalable and accessible to the food industry at large.”

“This report provides an on-the-ground perspective that details the emerging global taste trends emanating from Asian cuisine.” 

Meanwhile, in August, FoodIngredientsFirst reported that savory snacking has spiked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We continue to see international cuisines as a key driver behind flavor,” said Orfhlaith Nagle, senior marketing manager at Kerry. 

Kerry’s Authentic Savory Umami and Kokumi solutions have been formulated to offer “complex, rich and succulent” taste sensations in savory dishes resulting from well-balanced umami and kokumi. 

According to Kerry, the acquisition is an essential component of its global savory taste strategy.
The Chinese market has become an attractive space for acquisitions and expansions in recent months. There have been several significant moves and investments targeting growth in the country.

Last month, Brenntag acquired the majority of Zhongbai Xingye Food Technology (Beijing), starting with a 67 percent stake.

In December, Layn expanded its botanical extracts portfolio through a majority acquisition of Wagott, China’s largest exporter of green tea extract and a producer of tea and resveratrol extracts. 

In November, Barry Callebaut revealed it was opening its fourth office and the third Chocolate Academy Center in Shenzhen, China. The facilities aim to better serve the growing demand for high-quality chocolate and address “the great growth potential China offers,” the company noted. 

In the same month, Bits x Bites raised US$30 million in the first close of its new US$70 million funding round. The Chinese venture capital firm targets a more resilient and sustainable agrifood supply chain.

By backing early-stage Chinese and international founders, Bits x Bites aims to advance bioscience, data science, and processing technology to tackle challenges along the Chinese food supply chain, from precision agriculture, crop and animal health to protein alternatives and nutrition.

China’s plant-based segment growth
Meanwhile, the plant-based sector in China is booming. 

At the start of this year, Unilever’s The Vegetarian Butcher revealed the expansion of its partnership with Burger King to debut the Plant-based Whopper in Latin America, the Caribbean and China. 

In December, DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences research revealed a significant increase in demand for plant-based meat alternatives in key Asia Pacific markets. In particular, demand for plant-based meat in China and Thailand is forecasted to increase by 200 percent over the next five years, driven by consumer values around health, taste, and sustainability. 

Meanwhile, Beyond Meat unveiled Beyond Pork in November. The product was created specifically for the Chinese market and is dubbed the “next step forward” for the plant-based giant.