Natra strengthens its strategic position in Asia through the opening of a commercial office in Hong Kong
Natra opened in Hong Kong on Wednesday April 3 its new commercial office in China, to attend the Asia-Pacific markets.
The new sales office represents a firm step in Natra’s commitment of expanding its business outside Europe, particularly in the markets of North America and Asia.
Among the countries of the Asia-Pacific area, China is the first target market due to its significant growth opportunities. Chocolate consumption is now awakening in this market, especially due to the development of large foreign retail chains in the country and the increasing purchasing power of the population. It is estimated that in 2016 the middle class population in China will reach 340 million people, in a market with an annual chocolate consumption of 100 grams per person, compared to 8 kilos per person in Western Europe.
In this context, Natra considered essential to move forward in the commercial development that the company had so far in the area and establish a permanent business office. The direct presence in this market will allow Natra a better identification of business opportunities and consumer trends in terms of product categories, flavors, textures and packaging, while closer business relationships with key customers, direct management of the relations with the local distribution networks and operational improvements in the region, as for instance through potential agreements for the packaging of European-manufactured products.
Natra’s progress in the last year through the sales representative team in the area has allowed the company to be already present in the top five retail chains in China. Meanwhile, Natra’s industrial product division, responsible for the production and marketing of coca derivatives such as cocoa butter, cocoa powder and chocolate coating, has enjoyed trade relations with Japan for over 25 years, being China and Korea among its future growth markets.
In 2012, Natra’s cocoa and chocolate activity in markets outside Europe accounted for 20% of total sales, reaching 63.98 million euro, an increase of 47.5% compared to 2011. Among these markets, the Asia-Pacific countries brought together 18% of export sales, an increase of 18% over the previous year.
The economic objective of Natra’s consumer goods division for the next three years is to triple sales in China, reaching around 28 million euro by consolidating a customer base of retail chains as well as importers that have their own brands and distribution capabilities in the country.
In a first phase, Natra foresees consumer demand in Asian countries to focus on the category of Belgian and French chocolates, although the company expects to identify opportunities to gradually integrate its countlines and spreads categories.
Natra celebrates 70 years of history
Natra’s beginnings date back to 1943, when three Valencian chemists laid the foundation of what would be for many years the only company in the world that used all of the cocoa bean.
Natra, Spanish listed multinational, a reference in the manufacture of chocolate products and cocoa derivates, with a specialized approach to distribution brands and other food companies, celebrates this year its 70th anniversary in the cocoa industry.
Natra’s beginnings date back to 1943, when three Valencian chemists laid the foundation in the city of Valencia of what would be for many years the only company in the world that used all of the cocoa bean, as it obtained out of them theobromine, caffeine, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, cocoa powder and organic fertilizers, serving industries as diverse as pharma, soft drinks, cosmetics, chocolate, confectionery and agriculture.
Natra was founded as A. Benlloch – Laboratorios Natra, whose object was the extraction and purification of theobromine, a natural alkaloid only found in cocoa, which was highly valued in the pharmaceutical industry. The cocoa shells were acquired in Equatorial Guinea, then a Spanish province, which led the founders to settle there in 1950. It was this contact with the world of cocoa which led them to extend their activities to the field of food, using the whole of the cocoa bean instead of just the shell.
It was also in 1950 when the company moved to a new plant built in Mislata (Valencia), and it continued to develop successfully in the industries of both natural extracts -and, particularly, caffeine, an alkaloid closely related to theobromine-, and all cocoa derivatives for the food industry.
In 1978 Natra started trading on the Spanish Stock Exchange, first in Valencia and later in Madrid, in 1991, being one of the few food and pharmaceutical companies present in the Spanish stock market.
In the first decade of the new century Natra undertook the spin-off of its ingredients activity –with the establishment of its subsidiary Natraceutical-; the diversification into the production of chocolate products and the acquisition of four plants in Europe, which allowed the creation of a complete product portfolio that currently includes chocolate coatings, chocolate and cereal bars, Belgian chocolates and truffles, chocolate tablets and spread creams.
But probably one of the most important strategic decisions for Natra in the last decade was the specialization of the company towards the distribution brand (private label), which turned Natra into one of the leading suppliers among the largest global distributors.
The company currently maintains business relationships in sixty countries on five continents, to which Natra provides one of the most extensive product portfolios in Europe, supported by constant innovation and research work on new recipes and packaging solutions.
Currently, Natra’s cocoa and chocolate team comprises around 1,000 people, mainly located in the company production plants of Quart de Poblet – Spain (145 people), Oñati – Spain (550), Belgium (350) and France (120).
This business ended 2012 with a turnover of 326.62 million euro, 20% of which already outside Europe. For the coming years, Natra will focus on further development of the company into new export markets outside Europe and on fostering long term partnership with its customers, having quality and innovation as fundamental pillars for the sustainable development in the long run.
70 years of past history since Arturo Benlloch, Alvaro Faubel and Juan R. Ferrándiz started the first laboratory tests in their small premises in Valencia until a strong international position now that allows the company to look to the future with renewed goals.