As part of the business expansion strategy in the global market, Duas Rodas Industrial SA announces the acquisition of tropextrakt GmbH, headquartered in Frankfurt (Germany). The German company, founded in 2002, also has an office in Poland. Specialising in the import and distribution of extracts and juices used in the food, beverage and nutritional supplement industries, tropextrakt GmbH will continue its operations as normal.

The transition process will use the same principles of integrity and transparency that have guided the commercial partnership between the two companies for more than 20 years, ensuring maintenance and synergy of the activities.

Founded 98 years ago by a German immigrant couple in Brazil, Duas Rodas Industrial is a Latin American leader in the manufacture of ingredients for the food and beverage industry, with a customer base of more than 10 thousand customers and a portfolio of more than 3 thousand items. The company currently has three factories in Brazil – in Jaraguá do Sul/SC, São Bernardo do Campo/SP and Estância/SE -, three manufacturing units in other Latin American countries – Chile, Colombia and Mexico – and commercial offices in the USA and China.

Duas Rodas Industrial´s goal is to enhance the partnerships, strengths and portfolios of both companies and transform tropextrakt GmbH into a Research and Innovation Center for expansion in the European market, creating new opportunities in products and technologies.

The calamondin is one of the most exciting new discoveries that tropextrakt has in store for its customers in 2019. Although it sounds like an exotic, unknown fruit right now, it has the potential to start a new taste trend in foods and beverages that can already be seen in the USA, for example. The calamondin, with its scientific name of “Citrofortunella microcarpa”, conceals powerful potential under its delicate peel with a great variety of flavours: sweet-sour and refreshing, it is reminiscent of mandarin orange, bitter orange, lime and pink grapefruit.

A wide variety of flavours for the food and beverage industry

“The unique flavour of the calamondin is perfect for exotic taste experiences and can make a subtle difference in many foods and beverages”, explains Ingo Kniepert, Managing Director of tropextrakt. “The calamondin, for example, corresponds perfectly with familiar ingredients like orange juice or vanilla.” The refreshing and sweet-sour nuances also develop very well in combination with grapefruit in soft drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers and many other drinks, including milkshakes. The juice is also suitable for fruity blends in dairy products, ice cream, marmalades, jams, fruit sauces and sweets. Its taste components also come into their own in dressings, chutneys and desserts. The calamondin harmonises well with apple, mirabelle and blackcurrant, and herbs and spices including cinnamon, peppermint and vanilla. Tropextrakt has tested these and other combinations in its own application lab, where special applications for customers in the food and beverage industry can be developed on request.

Year-round harvest – transparent production

The calamondin, a particularly small type of citrus fruit, is a hybrid between the mandarin orange and the oval kumquat. Externally, it resembles a lime, but is much smaller. Unlike other citrus fruits, the calamondin has a thin, delicate peel, which is why the fruit has to be cut from the tree by hand. tropextrakt obtains the unadulterated calamondin juice from Vietnam, where the fruits grow, are harvested and processed into pure calamondin juice in NFC quality all year round. “It’s very important to us that our products are left in their natural state, thus complying with the Clean Label standard”, says Kniepert. tropextrakt imports its raw materials from the producers themselves in order to be able to influence the corresponding quality and hygiene standards on site. Every batch can be traced back directly to one of the 500 family businesses with calamondin plantations. Additionally, the producer guarantees the fruit will be processed in accordance with ISO 2000 and the BRC Food and HACCP standards. Both the Vietnamese producer and tropextrakt are Sedex-certified and have made a commitment to sustainable supply chains. In doing so, tropextrakt also makes a contribution to the small plantations in Vietnam, where calamondin cultivation with controlled labour conditions helps in the fight against poverty.