04.01.03
Nutriant: Soy And Beyond!
Nutriant, Cedar Falls, IA, is a company that was formed out of a marriage between Solnuts and Iowa Soy. Since 2000 both Solnuts and Iowa Soy have become part of the Kerry Group, Tralee, Ireland, through purchase or acquisition.
At the time that Solnuts was acquired by Kerry, it was an established company with a long history in soybeans. Explaining Solnuts’ contribution to Nutriant was Linda Wilson, general manager. “The original Solnuts business was started by a group of farmers who thought there had to be something better to do with soybeans other than using them for animal feed,” she said. “Everything that they had seen on the market was not up to par in terms of taste, so they developed a technique for processing the soybean into a soy nut, which was very unique to the industry at the time. This proprietary process is still unmatched today and is still used despite its development 32 years ago.”
On the other side of the Nutriant equation was Iowa Soy. This company was a producer of low-fat, low-fiber soy flour and low-fat grits as well as textured soy protein.
Together these companies, as Nutriant, supply high protein inclusions for a range of products, whether it be in the form of soy nuts, concentrates or flours, all of which are non-GMO and organic. This versatility allowed the company to offer its products for a range of applications including bars, beverages and breads in addition to other wellness products.
Ms. Wilson said Nutriant found its place in the nutrition industry because it offered natural, high protein products that tasted good. “In the beginning, there was an ‘old school’ mentality that products did not have to taste good. But that rapidly changed as consumers started demanding products that were both good for you and that tasted good. This was a perfect match for our products,” she explained.
As for recent events at Nutriant, Ms. Wilson said, “In 2002 we launched the first organic soy concentrate and organic high protein powder, which actually performs like a soy isolate. However, we don’t call it a soy isolate because we don’t use any chemicals to remove any of the fat, so therefore, by industry standards, it is not quite an isolate because the protein content is not that high.”
Under the name Nutriant the company is not restricted to selling just soy-based products. In fact, Ms. Wilson said, the potential for expanding its product portfolio in the near future is a very real possibility. “We see Nutriant evolving into being a larger source of value added ingredients for this industry. We are not only going to be soy-based but we are going to be bringing other things to the party so-to-speak by offering Kerry as a one stop shop for companies’ nutritional needs,” she said, adding, “Through Kerry we will have all of the resources available in order to be a major supplier to this industry. The other benefit to being part of Kerry is that we can operate on a global scale with the ability to supply any country, anywhere with a vast amount of ingredients and whatever else they may need for formulations.”
Commenting on the state of the industry, Ms. Wilson offered, “The industry is in excitement mode because everyone has predicted that the industry will continue to grow. There is especially looming excitement about what’s next. It is almost like everyone is out there scrambling and hoping they get to find it first. I think we’re on the verge of seeing incredible developments over the next few years.”—R.M.W.
Nutriant
2712 Orchard Drive
Suite A
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
Telephone: 800-648-3503
Fax: 319-266-1703
E-mail: lwilson@kerrygroup.com
Website: www.nutriant.biz
