N°66 - Distributeurs /Dossier spécial MÉRIEUX EQUITY PARTNERS ACQUIRES MAJORITY STAKE IN OMNIPHARM In mid-January, Mérieux Equity Partners acquired a majority stake in Nutragroup (holding company of Omnipharm (distribution of raw materials for the nutraceutical industry) and B-Pharma (contract formulation and manufacturing of food supplements in bags or softgels, small and medium batches). Nutragroup, which was founded and is managed by Mehdi Boulahia,“will accelerate the organic growth of the company and its acquisition strategy”. Mérieux Equity Partners performed this investment via Mérieux Participations 3, a new fund dedicated to fast-growing companies in the health and nutrition sectors. Unipex: proof of concept Quimdis targets the €100 M threshold “We develop product concepts so as to show innovative ideas to our customers,” Valérie Gaillot, Director of Unipex Food Nutrition The company is present in the distribution of ingre- BU, and Sandrine Allouard, who is in charge of the nutraceutical dients for the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics and market, explain. Among the latest developments, nomadic products nutraceuticals sectors in France, but also in Germany - a chewing gum for mouth ulcers, gelatin-free gummies to improve via its new offi ce opened last year. It is also present in digestion, a spray to attenuate bruises... “This allows us to show manufacturing through its partnership with Tradichem that we are able to propose different dosage forms while having within TIS, a company specialized in dry granulation, perfect control over the ingredients that we distribute,” Sandrine and the strong development of the pharmaceutical 066 Allouard says. But also “to propose new ideas to our customers”. company Dioma (Morocco), which produces diosmin. Two conditions must be fulfi lled to achieve this: havg n eendedina xt The combination of activities is a winning one: in 2019, portfolio of ingredients and being able to rely o te internl labonh a- Quimdis is expected to exceed the €100 million tur- ratories of its partners. Present for half acentury in the distributoni nover threshold, after a year of strong growth in 2018 market,Unipex has long relied on historical and majr prtners suchoa (+ 15%), and“exceptional results, especially in terms as theJapanese Ajinomoto (aminoacisn sd adpeclyinrediets),gniat of margins,” as pointed out by Jean-François Quarré, Meggle and Carbery (dairy proteins) to secure its delopment inev CEO and founder of the company. thefood, pharmaceutical and the nurautceticalsetrs fthe nuraco.I t- Several factors explain this result: on the one hand, ceutical sector was “approached” thanks to thir kowledge oftheen the launch of the German offi ce, the addition of a excipients (via their expertise in the pharmacuticl sco), ths busi-ieaetr new range of ingredients sourced in India (turmeric, ness has become fully autonomous diedyan thrv b referencing new Coleus, garcinia, senna extract - to mention only a partners for a comprehensive andstructuredoffer: sandrdizdt a e few). On the other hand, the launch on the market of plant extracts (Bionap) or extracts from cranbery myrr, Bsweliaho lr, a water-dispersible melatonin for applications such (fromthe Italian startup Biosfered), nucleoies Prosol),td( plantcell as herbal teas, gummies. Not to mention the strong culture extracts (ABR), nattokinase (Japan Bio Science aboratory)L . expertise in terms of logistics and regulatory coun- Thisrange complements what SandirneAllourd describsas “thea e selling: “The impact of the regulation, which is increa- excipients”: bases for direct compressionafosa), texturingagents(C singly visible, forces us to expand this activity”. Nearly (Algaia), Isomalt (Beneo), fl avours andtaste mouoFdlatrs (irmenic)h. a dozen of persons work on the regulatory aspects of “Our differentiation strategy is to bring new partners to the French pharmaceutical products (three), food and cosmetics market, of European origin, so as to provide a source of added value (fi ve), essential oils (three). The level of quality of the to our customers,” Valérie Gaillot added. Regardless of whether they raw materials required in France “creates distortion are present in France, in the Benelux, Aica,fr a ereas whre Unpexi withour European neighbours, who are less rigo- is present. “The rapidly-evolving R&D services expect us to deliver rous”. Another concern is the growing concentration agility and exibility. Whether in terms of marketing or regulation,” of suppliers of fl avourings and perfumery ingredients - Sandrine Allouard says.For a distributor such as Unipex, this involves a phenomenon that has little impact on nutraceuticals an internal regulatory service -this is almost “compulsory” othb for now. Which must be anticipated. For Quimdis, for the customers and suppliers. “This is part of our approach to this means investments: the extension of the site in improving the quality of the services that support the evolution of Grasse and of the Spanish joint venture, investments our business as a distributor,” Valérie Gaillot concludes. ■ in the Moroccan site. ■ ■ / Janvier - Février - Mars 2019 / N°66 / L’Actualité des Ingrédients Fonctionnels & Santé