Chr. Hansen and Ecoflora sign exclusive partnership

Blue is an increasingly sought-after color in food & beverages as a way to differentiate brands or to create seasonal or themed variations, and it’s a cornerstone for creating purple and green blends. However almost all blue on the market comes from one source – spirulina. This can create both sourcing and pricing challenges, and spirulina has known stability issues.

A unique shade from huito 

Ecoflora has developed a unique blue color from the huito fruit (Genipa Americana), a fruit native to Colombia growing in the Amazon and other tropical ecosystems. A stable and cost-effective alternative to spirulina, the pigment from huito is slightly darker and creates opportunities for unique blends and new applications. 

“We are always looking for opportunities to support our customers with new pigments and differentiated raw materials. This new partnership gives us exclusive access to Ecoflora’s Jagua Blue (Huito), which we are excited to be able to provide our customers.  Our R&D and application teams will work further on the building blocks to develop even more application-specific products and color blends,” says Niels Fischer, director of strategy and business development for Chr. Hansen Natural Colors. The products will be sold as ColorFruit based on huito.

Chr. Hansen has assumed Ecoflora’s sales and distribution to local markets Mexico and Colombia, as well as Russia. The partnership includes exclusive distribution rights in South America and North America (FDA approval pending).

A sustainable partner

Since 2008 Ecoflora has developed natural color technologies for the food and personal care industries with emphasis on sustainable and socially responsible environmental practices.

“Ecoflora shares our sustainability focus. Their materials are harvested by ethnic and rural communities under responsible and sustainable programs. They are committed to sustainable use of the Colombian biodiversity, and to benefit from its bounty without harming or risking nature. This is fully aligned with our own sustainability agenda and creates the ideal partner for bringing natural colors to market,” adds Fischer.

Chr. Hansen is a global, differentiated bioscience company that develops natural ingredient solutions for the food, nutritional, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. At Chr. Hansen we are uniquely positioned to drive positive change through microbial solutions. We have worked for almost 150 years to enable sustainable agriculture, better food and healthier living for more people around the world. Our microbial and fermentation technology platforms, including our broad and relevant collection of around 50,000 microbial strains, have game-changing potential. Matching customer needs and global trends we continue to unlock the power of good bacteria to respond to global challenges such as food waste, global health and the overuse of antibiotics and pesticides. As one of the world’s most sustainable companies, we touch the lives of more than 1 billion people every day. Driven by our legacy of innovation and curiosity to pioneer science, our purpose – To grow a better world. Naturally. – is at the heart of everything we do.