Already, Taura has completed a deal with a leading European manufacturer to use its ancient grain ingredients and those products will be unveiled in January.
Taura is now using the three-day Food Ingredients Europe trade show, which began in Paris last night (NZ time), to attract clients to its new fruit and vegetable products. They can be customised and the client, for instance, can order a blueberry ingredient combined with pumpkin, corn, carrot and beetroot - or pear and apple with carrot pieces.
"The show is held in Europe every two years and we wanted to set our mark with a new product range and show what we have achieved," said Taura marketing manager, Amy Wright. The Paris stand is being manned by up to 15 staff from its Belgium plant, located in Olen. "We are a small company on the world stage but we punch above our weight. Our clients are most of the world's largest cereal companies and that's not bad from a bit of technology (the URC process) created in Tauranga," she said.
"Putting grains into fruit to offer other heath benefits is a whole new industry category, and we want to trigger the thought and put it out there through the trade show," said Peter Tinholt, Taura's general manager of the Asia Pacific region.
Privately-owned Taura exports to 40 countries through North America, Europe including the Baltic states, Middle East, Asia - and including South Africa and Australia.
Most of the snack bars and cereals eaten in New Zealand contain a Taura-made fruit ingredient, of some sort.
Taura cottoned on to the ancient grains as 'the new food of the future.' Ms Wright said ancient grains were gaining a positive reputation amongst consumers because of their taste and superior nutritional value.
According to Mintel's Global New Product database, 241 products incorporating ancient grains were launched in Europe last year - a significant increase from the 200 introduced in 2009 and 169 in 2008.
More interestingly, the database showed there were no European launches of product combining ancients grains and 100 per cent fruit and vegetable.
Taura will be importing the ancient grains mainly from Australia and Central and South America.
Amaranth and quinoa grains, and chia seeds containing Omega-3 oil, were cultivated thousands of years ago and were important crops for the Aztecs and Incas.
Their conquerors scorned the crops as 'food for Indians' and for a time banned any cultivation. However, the grains have been brought back into commercial production.
Australia, for instance, is the world's largest producer of chia, a herb with the scientific name of Salvia hispanica.
Each of the gluten-free grains Taura will be using have different flavours, texture and nutritional features.
Quinoa is slightly nutty with a firm texture, amaranth is a little spicy and quite hard, buckwheat is earthy and softer, millet is slightly savoury, and sorghum also has a mild flavour.
Amaranth, quinoa and sorghum, also rich in antioxidants, have strong protein levels, buckwheat is naturally high in fibre including resistant starches, and millet contains B vitamins.
The natural grains will be softened or further processed at Taura to make them suitable for use in food products, particularly bread and crackers for their savoury flavour.
Taura, its present Tauranga operation is based in Owens Place, Bayfair, was set up in 1973 as a general fruit ingredients manufacturer but in the mid-1990s it sold off its yoghurt, food preparation and desert toppings business to Newmans Quality Foods and concentrated on products using the URC technology.
It's been Taura's point of difference.
"We are the only company to have this process, we can create high value product, and it's nice to know we can be the best in the world at something," said Mr Tinholt.
The URC process heats and solidifies fruit and vegetable purees to less than 10 per cent moisture in under 60 seconds. This ensures the ingredients retain their flavours, colours and nutritional characteristics; they are stable and free flowing yet soft; and they don't stick to other parts of the food product.
"It means your breakfast cereal doesn't go soggy - with the moisture coming out of the raisins," said Mrs Wright.
Now owned by an Australian private equity firm, Champ Ventures (holding 87 per cent of the shares) and staff (13 per cent), Taura established the Belgium operation to look after the European and South African markets and to supply some product into United States.
The Tauranga plant supplies Asia, Australasia and most of the United States. Operating with total staff of 140, including 62 in Tauranga, Taura has sales offices in the north of England and in Virginia, United States.
