IN Brief:
- GNT has opened its first dedicated China office and application laboratory in Shanghai.
- The site will support local development work for plant-based EXBERRY colour concentrates.
- China’s new industry standard classifies the concentrates as Coloring Foods, supporting cleaner label declarations.
GNT has opened its first dedicated China office, adding a sales and application site in Shanghai to support demand for plant-based EXBERRY® colour concentrates.
The new office includes an application laboratory designed to give Chinese food and beverage manufacturers faster technical support. The facility will provide space for customer training, workshops, concept innovation, formulation support, and stability testing, with GNT positioning the site as a local base for closer collaboration with companies developing more natural and clean-label products.
GNT offers a full spectrum of EXBERRY® colour concentrates in China. The concentrates are made from non-GMO fruits, vegetables, and plants using physical processing methods and water. Under China’s new official industry standard, they are classified as Coloring Foods, allowing label declarations such as “carrot coloring ingredient.”
That classification gives manufacturers a clearer framework for replacing synthetic colours in products where appearance remains central to consumer acceptance. Colour remains one of the most visible formulation decisions in food and drink, while artificial colours and additive-style declarations face increasing scrutiny in many markets.
Andreas Thiede, general manager APAC at GNT Group, said: “Together, this office and application lab demonstrate our commitment and long-term strategic growth ambition in China.”
He added: “China is a dynamic market, with strong momentum behind natural and clean-label food and beverage products. Customers here move fast – and they expect partners to be able to move with them. Now, with a local team in place, we can support this growth with faster decisions, closer collaboration, and tailored solutions.”
The Shanghai laboratory gives GNT a more direct route into application work, rather than relying only on remote technical support or regional hubs outside the market. That can shorten development cycles, especially for products where colour stability depends on matrix, pH, heat treatment, light exposure, packaging, shelf life, and interaction with other ingredients.
EXBERRY® colours are available in hundreds of shades and can be used across beverages, confectionery, bakery, dairy, savoury, snacks, plant-based meat, and pet food. The breadth of application creates technical complexity. A colour that performs well in a still beverage may behave differently in a fermented dairy product, baked system, high-fat filling, or acidic fruit preparation.
Victor Foo, GNT Group’s head of sales for China, said: “Our new application lab allows customers to visit us, collaborate face to face, and receive tailored training that supports their teams and applications. This helps us work faster together, strengthen relationships, and unlock new growth opportunities across China.”
Ingredients suppliers are moving closer to manufacturing markets with application labs, pilot facilities, and technical service teams as product development cycles shorten. Clean-label reformulation is rarely a simple substitution exercise. It requires stability testing, process adjustment, sensory work, regulatory interpretation, and packaging consideration.
China’s food and beverage market adds pace and complexity. Rapid product cycles, regional flavour preferences, and premiumisation have increased the need for localised technical support. For GNT, the Shanghai office gives EXBERRY® a stronger base in a market where natural colour demand is rising, but speed, cost, and stability will determine how far clean-label reformulation can scale beyond premium niches.
