PETpla.net Insider 06+07 / 2014

EDITOUR REPORT 14 PET planet insider Vol. 15 No. 06+07/14 www.petpla.net Making the product local Thanks to the 2008 newbuild, success has been achieved in terms of exemplifying all technologies and achieving all the necessary qualifications just as are required in Europe. This means that the site here is to a major extent independent but benefits from the worldwide development expertise of the Group. The entire South American market is serviced from Limeira. 90% of the raw materials used come from Brazil and South America. Localising not only has its advantages on the competitive front but also represents a commitment to the region. Transferring a taste from Europe to South America on a 1:1 basis is practically impossible. Even in Europe flavours differ from one country to another. Here there is a saying which describes the situation to a T: “Fla- vour taste is local taste“, as Martin Tolksdorf tells us. Flavour profiles Sample flavourings for orange concentrates Drawing up flavour profiles and using them so that they can be reproduced is a specific art and, viewed from a particular standpoint, lends itself to a comparison with the perfume industry. Instead of working with fragrances, the work here is carried out on flavour compositions. Flavour substances also incorporate different consistencies. They range from stable as well as less stable ones right through to volatile flavouring agents. For example, the flavouring agents extracted from the orange, the peel oil, essential oil and the water phase, are highly volatile substances. This must be borne in mind when using them because this means that the stability of the flavour has a time limit. Each flavouring agent has certain characteristics which, when highlighted and in combination with further flavouring agents, generate a flavour or taste profile. The stability of the flavourings is dependent to a major extent on the surroundings. “When it comes to bottling, for example, in a PET bottle, I need to be able to count on durability in addition to flavouring.” Mr Tolksdorf continued, “The packaging affects the stability of the flavourings, for this reason prior awareness of the type of packaging to be used is important. Other influencing factors have a part to play, such as, for example, ambient temperature and relative humidity, whether the beverages are carbonated or non-carbonated, oxygen compatibility, light and period of storage. And temperatures and quality standards when it comes to the bottling processes. In addition, there are the local everyday factors to be considered, such as taste perceptions and existing raw materials. A typical example is the use of sugar. The same drink in Brazil on a cane sugar base tastes different to the same drink in Europe on a beet sugar base. A different example that many have already experienced for themselves is the wine that tasted really good when you were on holiday but which, having brought it back with you and drunk it in your own country, turns out to be a total disappointment. For this reason it is important to be familiar with the local influences and to attune oneself to them,” says Martin Tolksdorf. “In this it is the techno- logical set up of this plant which puts us in a position to provide appropriate flavouring agents for each and every market, together with the tones that are unique to them.” This is a major challenge that we are working on together with the bottlers. We have no products of our own and this means that what every customer gets from us is a flavouring profile tailored to their own requirements. Packaging and logistics It is now time for the fruit concentrates and flavouring agents to go to the customer. We have learnt how sensitive these substances are in terms of their reaction to environ- mental conditions. One possibility is to store and ship eve- rything in the frozen state. On the other hand, however, this means that the flavouring concentrates will have to remain in a refrigeration chain at the bottler’s premises. Döhler has an alternative to offer here. The customer’s concen- trates are prepared in batches under aseptic conditions and stored to await call-off. Depending on the requirement, bottling is carried out aseptically (bag in barrel or carton) and transported to the customer in air-conditioned trucks; the customer in turn stores the barrels until they are used without applying any particular storage conditions. The bar- rels are refillable and return to Döhler. The Brazilian beverage market*  Size of Brazilian beverage market: 32 billion l/a  CSD make up 50% of the market with the largest pro- portion of PET bottles: 16.7 billion l/a  Packaged water: 6.5 billion l/a  Fruit powders: The high level of consumption is a par- ticular feature of the Brazilian market. As regards trends in flavourings, orange and grape tend to dominate. Here there is also future potential for PET bottles. 4.3 billion l/a  Still drinks: The proportion of low juice drinks (10%) is very high: 1.7 billion l/a  Juices and nectars: 0.65 billion l/a  Sport and energy drinks: 0.28 billion l/a  Iced tea: 0.15 billion l/a  Squash/syrups: 1,72 billion l/a *Consumption figures 2012/13 based on Döhler analyses and estimates