Dutch specialty chemicals distributor Barentz has opened an office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to boost its growth in the country’s food ingredients market.

Primarily sourced from its Vitablend plant in Singapore, the company will supply nutritional premixes and functional blends to meet demands by both producers and consumers for better food products.

Hang Nguyen, director of Barentz Vietnam, said the country’s consumers are becoming increasingly concerned with the quality of their food. The distributor noted that while the country has experienced “amazing” economic growth with a population much healthier now than 20 years ago, there was still much work to do to reduce poverty and increase the health level of Vietnamese people.

“Through our activities in Vietnam over the past years, Barentz has already become the market leader for nutritional ingredients for dairy and infant products in Vietnam. Having established a new legal entity, we are now also planning to expand our offer to other industry segments such as pharmaceuticals, personal care and animal nutrition over the next two years,” commented Hidde van der Wal, CEO of Barentz International.

The move follows the establishment of a joint venture in March with Thai food ingredients distributor Vita, strengthening Barentz’ presence in the Southeast Asian market.