German Company Supplies Yuzu Juice to European Beverage Industry

FRANKFURT, GERMANY--(Marketwired - Jun 2, 2015) - tropextrakt is the leading importer of yuzu juice for the European beverage and food industry. Since 2007, the German company has been distributing this valuable juice from the Asian citrus fruit to the European market in ever-increasing sales quantities. In Valencia, Spain, tropextrakt is developing the first European yuzu growing area in collaboration with a local partner.

In his ongoing quest for exclusive products for his customers, tropextrakt managing director Ingo Kniepert, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, discovered the citrus fruit called yuzu and made its multi-facetted aromas accessible to the beverage industry. "We consider ourselves as the supplier of niche products and specialties for the entire food and beverage industry," he states. The yuzu fruit, rich in seeds, is the size of an orange and possesses a richly complex aroma profile that evokes the scent of tangerines and grapefruit. It takes only a few drops of the juice to enrich beverage or food applications with highly aromatic, sour, bitter, tangy and, at the same time, flowery taste components.

Exotic Products and Finished Applications
Cooperatives in Korea are supplying tropextrakt with the citrus fruit which originated in Japan. The juice is delivered to the food industry in 22 kg deep-freeze containers. The main customer is the beverage industry which adds the juice to premium applications. According to Kniepert "in England, France, The Netherlands and Switzerland exclusive products such as yuzu are in particularly high demand. Consumers like to experiment and try out new things, especially innovative tastes." In addition to unique raw materials, tropextrakt has been providing know-how to its customers since its founding in 2002: product developers create formulations in the company's own idea laboratory, for applications such as juices, soft drinks, lemonades, iced teas and energy drinks. "When you have an exotic fruit such as this, the key is to create a well- balanced taste," says Kniepert. "Not every other fruit always can be combined with yuzu," he adds. Customers appreciate the recipe service, using it to inspire their own applications or requesting new, market-ready product developments from the German experts. Yuzu juice also is used in high-end gastronomy to refine food dishes with inspiring accents. Trendy bars use it to create new cocktails while the dairy, ice cream, baking and confectionery industries use it in their products.

European Quality and Year-Round Availability
The complex production process requires much manual labor to extract 10 to 12 ml of juice from one fruit -- which explains why the juice is so exclusive and costly. In order to guarantee year-round availability of yuzu juice after its very short harvest time in November and December, it is frozen in 22 kg containers immediately after production. The containers are shipped by sea to Rotterdam in the Netherlands and, from there, the juice is distributed to customers all over Europe. The frozen juice has a shelf-life of two years; after thawing it lasts for five days, refrigerated. "We are really vigilant about impeccable quality," Kniepert confirms. As a result, tropextrakt has each batch examined by German laboratories for, among other things, pesticide residues; traceability is guaranteed for two years. To tropextrakt it is very important to have a transparent, accountable supply chain and fair production standards. "We will cooperate only with certified suppliers who commit to complying with European quality standards," Kniepert states. In cooperation with a Spanish partner the company currently is developing Europe's first yuzu growing area around Valencia. The long-term goal is to supplement the juice volume with product from European cultivation in order to meet increasing customer needs.

For further information please visit: www.tropextrakt.com

FACTS
Innovation: Exclusive citrus fruit as raw material for the food and beverage industry
Product: Pure yuzu juice without additives or preservatives
Price: on request
Packaging Units: 22-kg deep-freeze containers; smaller units on request
RLZ/Tage: Containers with frozen juice: 2 year shelf-life; after thawing:
 5 days, keep refrigerated

tropextrakt GmbH
Hanauer Landstraße 146, D-60314 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Tel: +49 (0)69 - 94 34 088 0, Fax: +49 (0)69 - 94 34 088 8
info@tropextrakt.com, tropextrakt.com

About tropextrakt
tropextrakt GmbH specializes in importing and distributing exotic fruit and niche products for the food industry. The main purchaser of fruit juices, fruit juice concentrates, fruit purees and powders as well as fruit and plant extracts is the beverage industry, but also dairy processors, the confectionery industry as well as manufacturers of dietary supplements. tropextrakt serves the European beverage and juice industry with not only excellent raw materials but also with creative formulations for multiple applications -- if desired, even with market-ready products. As for their suppliers, tropextrakt ensures compliance with European quality standards, fair working conditions and a transparent, accountable supply chain -- from harvest to production to distribution to the customer.