Arla Foods Ingredients expands partnership with Brenntag into Southeast Asia

Arla Foods Ingredients has extended its partnership with global distributor Brenntag Group to cover Southeast Asia’s three largest food and nutrition markets – Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The expanded deal means Brenntag, a global leader in ingredients distribution, will now offer Arla’s full portfolio of protein ingredients in the region. These products serve a wide range of applications, including sports and infant nutrition, health foods, and dairy and bakery functionality.

The move builds on the companies’ successful collaboration in China, where Arla partnered in 2023 with Zhongbai Xingye Food Technology, part of the Brenntag Group.

Strategic growth opportunity

Southeast Asia represents a strategic growth opportunity. As prosperity rises across the region, demand for food and beverage products enriched with high-quality protein is surging – a need that is not currently being fully met, according to industry research.

“Demand for high-quality whey and dairy ingredients is growing across Southeast Asia, especially in key segments like active nutrition and food functionality,” said Alexander Leufgen, Head of Asia-Pacific at Arla Foods Ingredients. “Our goal is to improve and extend our offering to manufacturers across the region. By building on our existing arrangement with Brenntag we’ll be able to better tailor our products and services to meet their needs.”

Kenneth Keh, Regional President, Nutrition Asia Pacific, Brenntag Specialties, added: “Our partnership with Arla Foods Ingredients in China has been immensely successful, and we are excited to expand it into Southeast Asia. With our combined strength we are confident that we can meet the demand for high-quality, innovative nutritional products in the growing markets of Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.”

The Southeast Asian expansion follows a separate move back in March by Arla Foods Ingredients to increase its production capacity in the US, through a new contract manufacturing deal with South Dakota-based Valley Queen.