11 Dec 2021 Africa a top flavour for France’s MANE Group
Leading French flavour and ingredients group, MANE, has spent many years developing an African footprint – with its latest step being the inauguration of a state-of-the-art innovation centre at its South African HQ in Cape Town.
Group president, Jean Mane, was on hand on 18 November to do the ribbon-cutting honours at a private ceremony attended by employees and families – a limit of Covid restrictions.
“This fantastic facility, in partnership with Deli Spices, is where our team of food scientists, technologists and flavourists link into MANE Global Expertise to provide our customers with solutions for their culinary, snacks, meat, dairy, bakery, beverages and confectionery requirements,” he said.
His speech gave heartfelt appreciation to MANE’s African partners: “At MANE we are proud to have had the opportunity to accompany our African partners in their developments for more than 70 years. Our group is very grateful for these relationships and our teams are constantly elevating our service to the continent.
“Everything that we do throughout the group is determined by our passion for our business and our commitment to our customers and partners.”
Mane outlined his three key principles, “The expertise is local, the network is global, and the independence is non-negotiable.”
He added, “The need for extended knowledge of local industry, manufacturing and consumers are essential to feed our global strategic development team to drive innovation and product development. We continuously expand and deepen our local market and consumer insights to support development and innovative flavour solutions for locally relevant products.”
Significant African investment
In the past 15 years, the family-owned and run business has invested in Johannesburg and Cape Town; Lagos, Nigeria; Accra, Ghana; Abidjan, Ivory Coast and Nairobi, Kenya with commercial offices and laboratories.
During 2017, MANE took its partnership with Deli Spices forward by acquiring a strategic stake in the group to further its savoury business in South Africa. Deli Spices has a long history as ingredients vendor, especially as a renowned name in the SA meat market for 40 years.
“The strategic partnership that we have entered into with MANE gives us the ability to innovate and expand, notably abetted by the new centre. Our customers have access to leading market solutions, as well as the best products and technology,” commented Robin Haller, CEO of Deli Spices.
Customers can enjoy the benefits of:
- Ideation and innovation workshops
- Taking a product from concept to semi-industrial production trials
- Sensory testing and evaluations
- Access to customer and market insights
- Access to regulatory expertise
- The use of culinary and butchery training facilities
About Mane: From a family adventure, which began in 1871, when Victor MANE started producing fragrant materials from regional flowers and plants, the small distillery which has continually been run by the MANE family grew successfully to become one of the worldwide leaders of the fragrance and flavour industry. The headquarters are based in Le Bar-sur-Loup, in Southern France, near Grasse.
Today the Group covers all continents thanks to its 50 R&D centres and its 27 manufacturing sites. It has posted turnover figures which have shown uninterrupted and robust growth over the past ten years and celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.
See more at www.mane.com
Contact details in Africa:
- MANE Ghana, Sansiro-Lizzy Complex, Plot 200-217, Cotton Street,East Legon Accra Ghana +233 30 254 1934
- MANE Nigeria, 33A Alfred Rewane, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria +234 803 045 8682
- MANE Ivory Coast, Rue des Brasseurs, one 31B, Immeuble Gauche, Abidjan, Ivory Coast +225 09 57 42 17
- MANE Kenya, Delta Court, Watermark Business Park, Ndege Road, Karen, Nairobi +254 715 542 327
- MANE South Africa, 25 Bertie Avenue, Epping Industria 2, Cape Town +27 21 534 4422