With new natural sweeteners in its product portfolio, Scandinavia's largest honey producer wants to help the food industry produce both innovative and healthier food - without compromising on taste.
Jakobsens A/S is primarily known as a supplier of honey and agave syrup to the retail industry, but this year they are focusing on a completely new business area: natural sweeteners for the food industry. The expansion of the range is part of an overall strategic plan, where Jakobsens A/S will look at several new business areas in the coming years.
"We are delighted that we can now offer a range of natural sweeteners as an alternative to white sugar and artificial sweeteners. Some of them offer the possibility to reduce the sugar content of a food and others can add a number of good properties to the product. For example, it could keep blood sugar levels as stable as a slice of rye bread would. We achieve this by using ingredients with a low glycemic index," says Helle Reinevald, CEO of Jakobsens.
Natural alternative to artificial sweeteners
The idea behind the new natural sweeteners is, among other things, to replace the artificial sweeteners that are currently used in many foods, explains Helle Reinevald:
"When choosing the new products for our new range, it was important that they matched Jakobsen's current strategy of supplying only 100% natural products without artificial additives. We are also looking closely at the WHO recommendations to reduce daily sugar intake, and I am very much looking forward to working on this further in close cooperation with our customers. At the same time, many of the new products are also organic, which is another big advantage," says Maria Kyndi, Business Unit Manager at Jakobsens.
New products include agave powder, agave inulin, tapioca syrup, muscovado syrup, hibiscus extract and many other exciting flavours.
Want to be a development partner - not just a supplier
With the introduction of these new natural sweeteners, Jakobsens also offers a development team to help food manufacturers develop new or improved products. The team has worked with some of the largest international groups and has extensive knowledge in the use of natural sweeteners.
"As a subcontractor, you are often a specialist in your own product, but rarely have knowledge of the food you supply the ingredients for. We want to reverse that process so that the food producer can come to us. It could be with a specific recipe or a product development request, where we take on the task of finding the best solution in natural sweeteners. For example, it could be finding a natural alternative to regular white sugar in a product or a desire to reduce calorie content," explains Maria Kyndi, Business Unit Manager at Jakobsens.
"It is also very important that I know the raw materials and their origin. That's why I visited Mexico just before Christmas together with our Quality Manager," says Maria Kyndi. During the trip, they visited both agave plantations and a couple of factories that produce the new raw materials that Jakobsens A/S now sells.
Experienced product specialist leads the project
Leading this new business area is Business Unit Manager Maria Kyndi, who has been with Jakobsens for the past 8 years.
Throughout the years, she has been associated with sales and the company's customers, and Maria was previously responsible for the start-up of Jakobsen's honey supplies to the food industry.
For the past few years, she has been employed as a Business Developer, where she has, among other things, been in charge of the company's own product development. This has given her a great knowledge of the whole process of product development and the challenges it can bring to a company.
For further information, please contact:
Helle Reinevald Maria Kyndi
Executive Director Business Unit Manager
Tel: + 45 9641 0672 Tel: + 45 2256 5859
PRODUCTS
Taste the natural
We have a wide range of products including honeys, syrups, porridges and toppings - all developed with natural flavours in mind. All our products are either organic or free from artificial flavours, colours, sweeteners and preservatives.
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