Anpario GMBH will operate out of Cologne, Germany, with Nico Stein, formerly sales and marketing director EMEA at Biomin, set to lead the unit as commercial director.
The focus is on northern Europe, with an emphasis on new business opportunities in German speaking countries including Austria, Denmark and Switzerland, as well as in Germany itself.
“We have already got some good links out there, a mixture of direct customers and distributors in Europe, it is a matter of expanding that now, hence our interest in recruiting locally.
“The UK head office will support the German business unit in terms of technical, legal, marketing and manufacturing,” Anpario’s marketing manager, Sarah Osborne, said.
Stein is multilingual, and he says his intimate knowledge of how those German speaking markets tick will help with Anpario’s expansion plans.
“Each and every market is different, we want to focus on the potential of each, but we won’t be [going all out] to target every species in each market. The opportunities lie in our broad product range and its suitability for numerous species.
“It is about winning market share. We will be building on what we have already done over the past 10 years, establishing a team of local experts in each market we serve. We want to complete our sales map,” he told us.
Regional variation
Germany is a huge market, with different requirements and production segments depending on region, he noted. “The northwestern part is the main area of pig production and the rest of the country is a different picture, so we will have a regional focus there,” added Stein.
Contrary to received opinion, Switzerland is not a dairy market, it is dominated by poultry production, he said, and that is the segment the UK producer will chase. In Denmark, the company is looking to opportunities in and beyond pork, with Stein, though, seeing the beef sector there as promising. “There are strong players in beef.”
Austria, he said, is interesting as it has a traditional agriculture business, coupled with a high level of innovation.
“There are huge opportunities in the ruminant business there, and in poultry. The pork business in Austria is a battleground, however. It is mainly price driven and not quality and product driven.”
Stein’s strategy is to pursue customers looking for quality inputs. In that respect, the organic segment in Switzerland appeals. Farmers focused on sustainability and animal welfare are also of interest. It also helps that sustainable consumption and production is such a big driver in those German-speaking markets.
When asked to identify the challenges in trying to broaden the company’s reach in those regions, Stein said: “The size of each market is a challenge, they are highly competitive, with a lot of players in each one.”
Another challenge will be creating awareness about the Anpario brand, but, once done, “such growing awareness will also provide us with the main opportunity, going forward.”
Brexit
In terms of Brexit, Stein said the UK producer is well prepared and he does not expect any impact on the business.
Osborne also weighed in on that:
“We have had a couple of trial runs, in 2018 and 2019. From a supplier point of view, exports and logistics, we have got over 30 years of experience within the business. We work very closely with our suppliers to ensure continuity of supply. An area of concern is potentially around the ports, but, again, we have done tests, we have looked at the stocks base for raw materials, but also finished goods, and how we can deal with that if there is an upset initially. But, not forgetting, we already work on ‘rest of the world’ exports, the experience level is there. Crucially, as a business we are adaptable, and, if we need to make changes, we will.”
The Anpario portfolio is divided into four categories of health and performance, toxin management, feed quality, hygiene and insect control.