Naturex (Avignon, France) said its consolidated revenue for the first half 2012 rose 15% compared to a year earlier, buoyed by strength in emerging markets and positive trends for natural ingredients in food and beverages. Integrations from its recent acquisitions of Burgundy Botanical Extracts, Pektowin and Valentine Agro Ltd. also boosted results.
For the first half of 2012, Naturex posted consolidated revenue of €147.2 million, compared to €127.9 million in the first half of 2011. Among its divisions, food & beverage revenue for the same period rose 10.2% to €94.3 million, reflecting positive market trends for natural ingredients. Nutrition & health posted revenue of €44.3 million, up 28% thanks to strong performance in the American market, especially for the NATlife range (innovative extracts that benefited from clinical studies). Personal care division sales nearly doubled to €2.6 million, boosted by a more expansive range of plant extracts and innovative agents as a result of the integration of Burgundy Botanical Extracts. Naturex’s first-half results also benefited from favorable exchange rates compared to the same period a year ago.
Notably, the emerging markets in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East grew to represent 15.2% of the group's sales for the first half 2012 compared to 13.4% for the same year-ago period. By region, Europe/Africa generated revenue of €73.5 million during the first half of 2012, up 3.4% and representing nearly 50% of the group's sales; the Americas revenue grew 32.6% to €57.9 million, reflecting the strong contribution of North America and accelerating growth in Latin America; and Asia-Pacific posted a sales jump of 19.6% to €15.8 million, notably with activity in Australia and sales progress in Asia.
