Kemin & B&D set relationship in stone
with B&D Nutritional Ingredients for its patented FloraGLO
lutein and Slendesta Potato protein extract.
California-based B&D will supply Kemin's ingredients to the US market through a channel partner agreement. This means Kemin's own sales management team will continue to acquire and service key accounts, while working in tandem with B&D on select projects.
Kemin told NutraIngredients-USA.com that the companies are formally defining this relationship in preparation for future growth as the company gets ready to unveil more ingredients from its pipeline.
The agreement in fact solidifies operations between the two companies that have existed for the past nine years.
"We basically have operated on a relatively informal basis," said Kemin's product manager, Craig Maltby, "so this is truly formalizing the kind of relationship and sales and marketing arrangements we have shared."
To date, B&D is the sole distributor for the Iowa company's two existing products in the US. Maltby would not comment at this time on the exact nature of other ingredients Kemin is developing for market and whether or not B&D would be the sole distributor of those. "Kemin has significantly stepped up its pipeline over the past few years," he said.
The company claims to have been a major force in building the lutein product category and Maltby sees growing potential for the ingredient as more evidence links it to promoting eye health. This optimism is what is drove the two companies to concretise their relationship.
"As our respective businesses grow and we bring new products into the fold, growth has reached the point where it's beneficial for both parties to have arrangements and operating processes formally in place," said Maltby.
Kemin's flagship proprietary product, FloraGLO lutein, is derived from purified marigold extract. Slendesta is Kemin's newest ingredient, marketed for promoting satiety through the active component, Proteinase Inhibitor II.
