Döhler announces the expansion of its Paarl manufacturing facility, marking a significant advancement in its operations within the African market. By enhancing product availability and customising offerings, Döhler deepens its partnerships with local customers and positions itself at the forefront of the food, beverage and life science and nutrition industry in the region.

The expansion of Döhler South Africa’s plant in Paarl introduces new, state-of-the-art production lines for compounds and emulsions as well as powdered and liquid flavours. In addition, it substantially increases the company’s capability for processing bulk juice concentrate. From now on, customers will have direct access to the complete portfolio of compounds, which shows Döhler’s commitment to being at the forefront of the food, beverage and life science and nutrition industry in the region.

2024 promises to be a groundbreaking year for Döhler South Africa following notable achievements and the establishment of strategic partnerships in the last year. The Paarl plant expansion sets the stage for future advancements. The addition of cutting-edge production lines and state-of-the-art R&D labs will further strengthen Döhler’s ability to deliver high-quality products and product solutions directly to the African market.

The expansion of Döhler’s plant in Paarl was officially inaugurated in May with a ceremony attended by prominent industry figures, the Drakenstein Executive Mayor and the Consul General of the German Consulate, emphasizing Döhler’s commitment to deepen its engagement with the African food, beverage and life science and nutrition industry.

Bright, modern, and colourful design captures the brand’s mission to make soda both a fun and smart choice with ingredients that benefit the brain-gut connection and offer functional benefits with every sip

HERE Originals reintroduces its groundbreaking prebiotic soda, VINA in the US. Reformulated with an essential, proprietary blend of prebiotics, trace minerals, plant fibers and organic ingredients, VINA is expertly crafted to directly benefit the brain-gut connection. On a mission to recalibrate the soda category and functional cold box with a smarter choice, VINA unveils a line-up of flavours that taste great, are delightfully effervescent and expertly formulated to be both fun and smart to drink.

The revamped brand identity and packaging design follows a period of strategic repositioning of VINA’s functional benefits centered on the brain-gut connection. As functional soda becomes a fast-growing subcategory of the greater functional beverage space, the demand for healthier soda alternatives has rapidly increased. VINA’s unique formula that prioritizes brain and gut performance will invigorate consumer demand and add incremental value to this exciting new category with multifunctional benefits to both mind and body.

“Historically, soda hasn’t been considered a healthy choice, packed with sugars and toxins, despite the fun nature of the flavourful beverage. We saw a need to preserve what we all love about soda while completely reconstructing it to be both a naturally delicious and smart choice,” said Founder and CEO, Alex Matthews. “We challenged ourselves to cram what we call ‘The Smarts’ (plant fiber, trace minerals, prebiotics) into our formula for unprecedented functionality and of course, quality taste.”

Connected by millions of nerves and chemicals called neurotransmitters, the brain and gut are a package deal. Operating in a symbiotic relationship, when one is in distress, the other suffers. And, when one is balanced and thriving, the other reaps the rewards. VINA’s formula and ingredient selection are designed to address not one or the other in isolation, but both for optimal wellness.

According to VINA’s Chief Smarts Officer and mind-body expert, Dr. Cynthia Kerson, “The neurotransmitters bidirectionally linked between the brain and gut impact the very core of emotional wellbeing. Stress and anxiety in the mind caused by anything from external factors to deficiencies from essential nutrients can make its way down to the gut and lead to issues ranging from mild discomfort to GI tract issues. Alternatively, serotonin (the stuff that keeps our spirits high) is largely produced in the gut by millions of microbes in a healthy digestive ecosystem. VINA is ‘smart’ because it’s both multifaceted and hyperfunctional as it addresses mind-body wellness at its very core.”

VINA aims to delight both the pop purist and the functional beverage drinker with both taste and nutritional benefits. Crisp, fruity and crafted with an undertone of citrus to keep things balanced and bright, VINA comes in five flavours: Ginger Fizz, Cherry Pop, Grapefruit, Lime Lemon and Pomegranate. All blends are 5 g of sugar or less, 25 calories or less, certified USDA Organic, gluten-free, vegan and made with all natural ingredients.

VINA is the second beverage line out of HERE Originals, following De La Calle, a spin on the Mexican fermented pineapple beverage Tepache that won Best New Products and Best Packaging Design from BevNet’s Best of 2021 Awards.

VINA Prebiotic Soda is available in the US via drinkvina.com. Purchase one case of 12 cans (12 fluid ounces) for $33.99 MSRP or a monthly subscription for $28.89 per case, a 15 % discount.

Premium fruit and vegetable ingredients supplier, SVZ, is pleased to announce its new brand tagline, ‘Growing better together’. Accurately demonstrating the business’ sustainable, collaborative values, the tagline also indicates SVZ’s continuing commitment to growing a better, greener world together with its customers and partners.

SVZ is passionate about collaborating with its partners, customers, farmers and suppliers to provide the very best fruit and vegetable purees, concentrates and NFC juices all year round. To further demonstrate the importance of trust, connection and partnerships across the entire supply chain, SVZ’s ‘Growing better together’ slogan represents everything the company stands for in working towards a healthier world for future generations.

SVZ has also refreshed its website to display these collaborative, future-focused values. Easy to navigate and with a refreshed design, the platform reflects the company’s growing better together ideals as it promotes a smoother transaction from concept to consumer.

Pieter Spanjers, CEO, SVZ comments: “At SVZ, ‘growing better together’ is what we do best. From our own employees to our farmers and customers, we’re delighted to work in such close collaboration. It’s only by strengthening these connections that we can create the highest-quality, tastiest fruit and vegetable ingredients.

Take our product development programme, for example, which is based on the latest trends and consumer needs. The ingredients we create are tailored to our customers’ requirements, and it’s only by working closely with our partner farmers that we can ensure that their needs are met with a great taste and high nutritional value. Plus, our connection with growers also means that we can guarantee sustainability credentials in our ingredients, through initiatives like a reduction in pesticides and water usage.

Our new website, which has been built to enhance the user experience, will be a key tool for close collaboration with various stakeholders and we look forward to growing together with our partners on the platform. We work on a global scale with our customers, suppliers and employees of Cosun and SVZ to co-create sustainably sourced ingredients that will appeal to consumers worldwide. Together, we can build a future-proof supply chain for our children and future generations and, ultimately, grow better together.”

For more information please visit: www.svz.com