Firmenich & Finlays to help brands capitalize on growth in natural, sustainably sourced tea & coffee solutions

Firmenich, the world’s largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, and Finlays, a leading supplier of tea, coffee and botanical solutions, have entered an agreement giving Firmenich full sales rights to Finlays’ European tea and coffee extracts portfolio in Europe, effective immediately.

“We are very excited about this partnership,” said Karel Stoschek, SVP, Europe of Firmenich’s Taste & Beyond business. “Our customers will benefit from Firmenich and Finlays’ combined expertise in product development, streamlining their own innovation and new product development process and helping to create even better products that tap into the natural, wellbeing and sustainability consumer megatrends.”

As a part of this new agreement, Firmenich will focus on commercializing two core parts of Finlays’ extracts business in Europe: its world-leading Cold Brew Coffee portfolio and its Tea Extract portfolio. The Cold Brew Coffee portfolio serves a rapidly growing segment within the European region, and is crafted using a proprietary process which delivers a distinctly smooth, rich flavor experience. Finlays’ Tea Extract portfolio includes The Wellbeing Collection, a range of premium, all-natural tea extracts which are rich in bioactive compounds associated with various health benefits. These extracts are sustainably sourced from Finlays’ own tea farms, with on-site extraction facilities that enable tea leaves to be harvested and extracted on the same day, thereby preserving their fresh flavor and natural bioactive composition.

“Firmenich and Finlays are joining forces at a time when consumer demand for healthier, natural ingredients has never been higher,” said Rachel Jones, Finlays Group head of Business Development. “Firmenich’s strong market coverage, deep understanding of taste and application know-how will enable Finlays products to reach a broader audience in Europe, helping the food & beverage industry develop innovative recipes featuring tea and coffee ingredients to meet evolving customer expectations.”

Under the new agreement, Firmenich is responsible for the full sales process, from commercial relationship to brief management, supported by the Finlays team. The partnership focuses exclusively on Finlays’ ranges of tea and coffee extracts, and covers European markets only.

“The world of natural beverages is a dynamic hotbed of innovation and offers countless opportunities for sustainable growth,” said Guy Chambers, Finlays Group managing director. “Our new partnership with Firmenich supports Finlays’ mission of bringing the best from bush to cup and will help us to deliver distinctive and exciting solutions for customers in Europe.”

“Firmenich and Finlays are both privately owned and share a similar, Purpose-driven mission of creating healthier food and beverages made from natural and sustainable ingredients”, said Amaury Roquette, Firmenich VP, Naturals Platform, Creation and Portfolio. “This partnership further reinforces Firmenich’s commitment to accelerate global diet transformation by helping to create healthier, great-tasting food & beverages with more natural and sustainable ingredients to enhance wellbeing for people & planet.”