“Despite operating across multiple regions, we maintain a cohesive and collaborative culture by staying true to a set of core values that guide our behaviour and decision-making at every level,” says Giles. “These values are Excellence, Triumph and Integrity, and they are deeply embedded in how we work.” Cross-site collaboration is a linchpin of Plant-Ex’s approach to managing international teams, with knowledge-sharing and joint projects helping to align efforts across borders. While every site brings unique strengths, shared values “ensure that we act with a consistent sense of purpose.”
Coloring Foods are becoming
increasingly popular in China as consumers seek out cleaner labels, so we’re delighted that industry recognition” –
Andreas Thiede, APAC General Manager for GNT Group
As regulatory frameworks tighten and consumer expectations around transparency and clean-label products grow, Plant-Ex is positioning itself to help food and beverage brands stay ahead. Drewett explains that the company’s R&D pipeline is closely informed by market intelligence — not only to stay compliant, but to lead in product differentiation. innovation and invest heavily in market research,” he says. “With clean-label, plant- based and additive-free products now central to brand positioning across the food and beverage designed to help customers stay ahead.” “We’re capitalising on advanced technologies, extraction,
including natural encapsulation and
stabilisation, to deliver solutions that balance performance with label appeal.” “By connecting insights across regulatory, R&D and commercial teams, we ensure our customers are not just meeting compliance
KennedysConfection.com
but leading in their categories.” Plant-Ex is also expanding its in-house expertise to keep pace with the evolving legislative landscape. “Eight people in our team of 135 work within the Quality Assurance team,” notes Drewett, “and we are in the process of recruiting a dedicated
Sustainability goals also played a major role in the Aromacolors deal. Operationally, logistics-related emissions by enabling local production for Central and Eastern Europe. “The Aromacolors acquisition supports several of our ESG goals,” says Drewett. “Strategically, it gives us the capacity to scale more sustainable ingredient solutions, such as natural colours from renewable sources. From a governance perspective, we’re embedding our ESG standards across all sites.” “Transparency in sourcing and traceability is a growing focus for our customers, and this expansion helps us deliver on those expectations.”
Having led multiple integrations before, Drewett is clear-eyed about the challenges, and the formula for success. Speed and scale “From past expansions we’ve learned that integration succeeds when it’s both strategically led and most importantly, people focused. Changes should be logical and collaborative, and the ultimate goal of improved customer support should be at the forefront of everyone’s minds.” Fortunately,
the overlap in product
portfolios between Aromacolors and Plant- Ex helps streamline the technical side, while the Poland site’s EU location sidesteps post- Brexit complications. “Aromacolors’ product portfolio in colours
technical and operational integration more straightforward,” says Drewett. “Their EU-based manufacturing also removes Brexit-related barriers for European customers, improving service continuity with no disruption.” quality standards and cultural values, helping the Aromacolors team feel fully part of the Plant-Ex group from day one.” As the regulatory tide rises and consumer are becoming non-negotiable.
The
companies that thrive won’t just adopt new standards—they’ll anticipate them, invest in science, and bring clarity to a colour
Kennedy’s Confection June 2025 25
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