Symrise and Shan Foods open international standard production facility in Pakistan

Symrise, a global taste, nutrition & health provider together with Shan Foods, the Global Culinary & Recipe Mixes Market Leader have inaugurated a state-of-the-art international standard production facility for their strategic partnership in Pakistan. This collaboration intends to deliver winning taste solutions for leading local and global consumer-preferred food brands. Symrise has been operating in Pakistan for many decades. This local footprint with Shan Foods gives an indication of its continued commitment to the country. Since 2005, Symrise has seen double-digit growth year-on- year with its partners across the Middle East & Pakistan region.

By joining forces, both partners want to advance the provision of taste, nutrition & health food technology platforms in Pakistan to stay ahead of the market growth curve expected in the next few years.

The partnership follows the goal to:

• Support key customers with speed to market, with local manufacturing footprint,

• Leverage the best of science and best of nature of Symrise with Shan Foods “chefmanship” ,

• Co-develop consumer-led winning concepts for high-growth categories culinary & snacks, with Symrise taste, nutrition & health expertise and Shan Foods local taste expertise, and

• Build sustainable employment opportunities, with backwards integration models, local sourcing models and delivery channels.

Under the partnership, the companies will focus on developing, launching, and commercializing transformational food products. This includes general seasonings, bouillons, processed meat, snacks, and instant noodles. Pakistan’s food industry feeds ~250 million consumers, is rapidly urbanizing and supports a dynamic young consumer base with changing key consumer behavioural trends. Convenience & authentic taste form key consumer needs. As convenience products evolve, so too does the demand for better-for-you products, ingredients with functional benefits and provenance claims, where local sourcing takes precedence.

Shan Foods is a global culinary brand with presence in over 75 countries over 5 continents with a strong manufacturing footprint across the globe (including Pakistan, UAE, KSA and UK) and is the market leader in Pakistan and UAE for recipe mixes. Commenting on the partnership, Lilian Regnier, President Food & Beverage Europe, Africa & Middle East at Symrise, said: “In the context of ensuring speed to market and proximity to our customers, Symrise has committed itself to strategic partnerships. Building on the strength of Symrise and Shan Foods will benefit our customers in timely and cost-efficiently delivering their winning brands to consumers. We feel very excited and proud to embark on the next phase of our business growth with Shan Foods in Pakistan. Our collaboration will help us further consolidate our strong foothold across Middle East & Africa. We recognize Shan Foods as a thought partner & leader in Pakistan Food Industry and look forward to a bright future together”.

The powder blending manufacturing facility underscores the partnership’s commitment to promoting locally made food solutions, reducing dependence on imported raw materials, while providing high-quality products tailored to local and global markets. The partnership and project are now operational, and the project’s capacity will be scaled to meet the needs of the local market and export markets in the coming years. The setup will also create sustainable employment opportunities. The establishment of the production facility is expected to cater to the multimillion-dollar Savory market in Pakistan, which is seeing double digit growth. Commenting on the inauguration of the new unit, Sammer Sultan, co-chairperson at Shan Foods, said, “The opening of this facility represents a significant step forward in our mission to enhance local production, leverage food science technology, and support Pakistan’s economy. By increasing our manufacturing capabilities, we are not only reducing reliance on imports but also creating new jobs. This facility is a testament to our commitment to sustainable growth and our belief in the potential of Pakistan’s vibrant food industry.”

For the second phase of the partnership, Shan Foods and Symrise are aligned on tapping into the international markets, with a particular focus to cater to the UAE and KSA markets.

“Shan Foods has invested in a research, development and application laboratory and a manufacturing facility with quality management systems in Pakistan. The partnership with Symrise reinforces its position as a brand that continuously explores new ideas, drives food innovation and taste development in Pakistan” says Imran Sherani, Advisor Strategy, Growth & Investment of Shan Foods.

Raheel Qadri, country head – Pakistan at Symrise, said, “The inauguration of this facility represents a new chapter in our partnership with Shan Foods and our dedication to Pakistan's food industry. This advanced facility will help us quickly bring high-quality, locally produced products to market, meeting the demand for innovation and authenticity, setting new industry standards together.”