Univar expands deal with Lithuanian starch maker
The distributor has represented Amilina since 2007 in Poland and the Czech Republic.
The new deal expands that relationship to Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. A company spokesperson told FoodNavigator.com that the extension comes as a result of success in Eastern Europe in the last two years.
John van Osch, EMEA president at Univar Europe, said the new agreement “signifies a further expansion of our footprint in the food industry across Europe and will allow us to create further value for our customers by offering an even broader product portfolio.”
Amilina starches have an extremely low microbiological count, according to the company. The company, which has a history dating back to 1841, is primarily a flour producer. At a wet mill in Panevezys, Lithuania – in the heart of the Baltic wheat belt – it processes wheat into starch and gluten fractions.
For sales of its wheat starch to the food industry Amilina tends to work through distributors such as Univar.
It also serves the paper and board industry, specialising in supplying paper mills that prefer to thin the starch on the spot rather than use enzymatic or thermochemical processes.
By-products of the wet-milling process are pelletised and sold for animal feed.
As for Univar, it has a customer base numbering 250,000 for its full portfolio of industrial and speciality chemicals and services, hailing from the food, coatings, personal care and pharma industries. It has 170 distribution centres altogether, 56 of which are in Europe, and saw sales of US$9.4bn in 2008.
Univar will be exhibiting at Food Ingredients Europe in Frankfurt, Germany, from 17 – 19 November 2009.
