PREMIER NUTRITION CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF TRADING


In a Feed Compounder exclusive, we speak to premix manufacturer, Premier Nutrition, about the company’s development and vision for the future as they celebrate 30 years of trading.


Founded in 1991, Premier has come a long way from its small beginnings, where partners Graham Yeo and Robert Rae established the business from a standing start, as Mr Yeo explains. “Both Robert and I had a background in animal


nutrition, with a keen interest in agriculture. Having worked together before, we decided to start an additives business which soon became a premix company,” he says. What followed was a momentous journey for Premier


Nutrition, starting with the duo selling premix during the day and manufacturing orders at night. “Although, pig, ruminant, equine and pet have always


been important industries to us, it was the poultry sector and our contract with Bernard Matthews that really helped to propel our business,” says Mr Yeo. “Throughout the nineties we acquired new sites and


expanded the team significantly, with a concerted focus on nutrition expertise,” he adds. Mr Yeo explains how a big break moment came


in 2003. “On the back of our nutritional advice and the development of the UK business, we began trading internationally. Canada came first, then Denmark and by 2005 we were selling into Ireland, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.” In 2008, a year during which Premier saw its first


£5 million-sales month, leading international agricultural business, AB Agri, acquired the company, recognising the value of a team of internationally renowned animal nutrition specialists. By 2016, the company was selling to six out of the


seven continents and monthly sales were topping £7 million. José Nobre, AB Agri’s chief executive officer, explains the significance of Premier Nutrition to AB Agri, as part of a £1.2 billion animal nutrition and agricultural services business. “I came from a background of premix manufacturing,”


explains Mr Nobre, who recognises the vital importance of this specialism in shaping animal supply chains. “Premix is an essential part of the food chain, without


them you can’t produce compound feed, which is why Premier Nutrition is essential to AB Agri’s portfolio.” He explains that AB Agri has two key growth


strands, one being responsibility and the other being internationalisation. Premier Nutrition has a critical role in both, Mr Nobre goes on to say. “Premier Nutrition has an integral role in helping AB


Agri act more responsibly. We know that in the future more and more nutrients will be going into animal feed to drive efficiencies and premixes are the carrier, so it’s of strategic importance.” Mr Nobre adds that through the team’s technical


capability they can also help customers to meet their own customers’ technical demands, which is becoming more and more important. “Premier Nutrition already operates in an elevated


quality assurance environment due to its capacity to produce medicated feed. Operations are already highly efficient and, in many instances, above regulatory standards.” Mr Nobre adds that Mr Yeo and Mr Rae’s founding


principles of providing nutritional advice first, product second, remain at the heart of the company. “Some of the greatest expertise AB Agri has, in terms


of nutrition, comes from Premier Nutrition and to influence the food chain, we need that advice. Already selling products and services into over


80 countries, Mr Nobre has ambitions to expand internationally, and he explains how premix will play a vital role in opening doors. “Penetrating new countries is tough, we could go in with a compound feed or crop, but our research and experience shows the easiest way to get into a new country, for any species, is premix. “Premier Nutrition is already heading up our UK market


penetration, but, with the team’s world leading nutritional expertise, we can open new doors in the future.” Asked where he sees Premier Nutrition’s future, Mr


Nobre says today’s biggest changes in agriculture are not in our hands anymore. “Historically processors changed attitudes and had


influence over regulatory affairs, but now the consumer is calling the shots and dictating their needs. “We need to respect the consumer, it’s the essence of marketing and product supply.” But he is optimistic about AB Agri’s ability to meet


these demands. “Premier Nutrition is so flexible and has so many genuine ideas in terms of nutritional advice. I’m confident that whatever the consumer asks for, the team at Premier Nutrition will be able to formulate it on a premix basis. “Among all the AB Agri companies, Premier Nutrition


can adapt the quickest to any new consumer change in behaviour,” he says. Through international expansion, Mr Nobre adds that


he wants to grow nutrition expertise and the capabilities of Premier Nutrition in some countries. “We don’t want to create a worldwide ‘Premier’


experience but in many countries, premixes will be how we penetrate the market. So, we need a premix company. We either acquire them, or we export our authenticity and technicians from Premier Nutrition. “For that reason, in five to 10 years, we’d like our nutrition expertise to be worldwide.”


Left: José Nobre (l) and Graham Yeo (r)


Premier Nutrition timeline


1991 Premier Nutrition


formed


1993 Relocated


to current Rugeley site


1997 Extended site to


meet demand


1998 Additional


site purchased


1999 Acquisition


of Vitamealo


2003 Nutrition Partners


Canada


2004 Premises in


Denmark


2005 Sales to Europe,


Africa, Middle East


2005 Another


manufacturing facility is built


2008 AB Agri buys


Premier Nutrition


2011 Further


manufacturing and office site built


2012 Selling to 6


of 7 continents


2016 Monthly sales


reach £7 million


2018 State of the art


manufacturing site built


2021 Premier turns


30 years old FEED COMPOUNDER JULY/AUGUST 2021 PAGE 31


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