Cosucra sets up North American subsidiary as pea protein grows

Frank G. Truong, seen here in front of Cosucra’s pea plant in Belgium.

 
Food ingredients company Cosucra Groupe Warcoing has inaugurated a subsidiary in the US, Canada and Mexico with a view to increasing its presence in North America, one of the world’s most promising markets for pea protein.

The North American business will help Cosucra “to further build customer intimacy and support our partners’ growth in plant-based nutrition”, it said. The company vowed to take a ‘solutions-focused approach’ in order to provide customers with relevant concepts that meet local taste preferences.

Frank Truong has been appointed as general manager to lead the growth of Cosucra’s business in the region, and the company acknowledges the need to grow its business worldwide.

Truong has extensive global expertise in speciality food and beverage ingredients, having previously worked for Fonterra, Tate & Lyle and AAK.

Eric Bosly, commercial director for Cosucra, said the company recognised the need to grow globally, hence the founding of the new US subsidiary.

The business has recently completed the second phase of a €35 million investment programme at its plant in Warcoing, Belgium. The addition of a new spray dryer and a line expansion will enable Cosucra to double its capacity for pea protein at a time when demand is soaring worldwide.

Cosucra, which originally began as a sugar producer 165 years ago, now produces a range of speciality ingredients for the food and beverage industry – notably Pisane pea protein isolate, Swelite functional pea fibre, Nastar functional pea starch and chicory root fibre.

North America is the largest market for pea protein and forecasts suggest that, by 2022, it will remain the sector’s most important geography with 41% of the share.

The second largest market, ahead of Europe and with a projected share of 33%, will be Asia-Pacific. Cosucra currently has two representatives in mainland China, as well as one more on Taiwan, as it aims to keep pace with this growth at the same time as expanding its presence in the US, Canada and Mexico.