Sir
I read with interest Sarah Britton's article 'Stamp out suspicion' (NPD supplement, FM, March, p38) about communication between manufacturers and their ingredients suppliers.
It is essential for ingredients suppliers to build a close relationship with their customers. Not only for the information they receive but also because the acquisition of new customers costs a company more than keeping existing ones does. The suppliers have to work hard in order to constantly add value to the business relationship so that the manufacturers stay interested.
Our company has been successful as we provide a quick and reliable new product development (NPD) service with the ingredients we supply: a service that can save our customers a lot of time and resources. We also add value by reformulating recipes, therefore making them more profitable to our customers.
In the end, we need successful manufacturers in order to be successful ourselves.
Bettina Kawerau,
marketing executive,
GC Hahn & Co