Meurens Natural invests €15m in second ingredients plant
Meurens Natural, which processes cereals and dried fruits into organic and natural ingredients for the agri-food sector, has invested €15 million ($17.6m) in opening a second production plant in Belgium.
The company produces rice syrups, oat syrups, wheat syrups, manioc syrups, spelt syrups, malted barley syrups, date syrup, fig syrup and prune syrup under its Sipal and Natu ranges. These, the it says, provide sweetness, flavour, colour, crunchy and viscosity to biscuits, cereal bars, breakfast cereals, drinks, yogurts, sauces, ice creams and fruit preparations.
The new production facility in Thimister-Clermont is expected to help the group respond to market needs, as growth over the last few years has meant its existing site in Herve has “become overloaded”. The site’s surface area extends over 28,000 sq mt, with a 6,500 sq mt building. The company says it has enabled numerous energy savings to be made in the consumption of gas, water and electricity. The project was completed in record time, it says, with the first products coming off the line 12 months after construction work started.
Meanwhile, Meurens Natural will be undertaking several investment programmes at the Herve site, including bulk storage of syrups, packaging syrups and a mill with storage of raw materials, as well as a second hydrolysis and concentration line, to meet growth in the organic sector.
The company, which has two production sites and three production lines, exports 70% of its annual turnover.
