Welch’s, America’s largest grape juice brand, and Taura Natural Ingredients have created a breakthrough partnership that means inclusions produced from Welch’s famous Concord grape juice and purée will be available to manufacturers of products such as nutrition bars, confectionery, bakery products and breakfast cereals for the first time.
To be marketed as FruitWorx, the new inclusions will contain all the taste and goodness of the Concord grape for which Welch’s range of premium juices are famous.
Under the terms of the groundbreaking deal, Taura Natural Ingredients will create concentrated pieces and pastes from Welch’s Concord grape juice and purée using its URC process. Developed by Taura Natural Ingredients, URC (Ultra Rapid Concentration) is a unique process of concentrating the taste, texture and natural goodness of fruit into pieces, flakes and pastes for use in a wide range of exciting formats – either alone or in combination with other fruits, and blended with grains including ancient grains such as chia.
FruitWorx pieces and pastes will be sold exclusively through both companies, enabling the strong relationships already established to continue, while simultaneously expanding the appeal of the grape further afield. Initially, FruitWorx will be available to the North American, Japanese and South Korean markets, with other geographies set to follow later.
The agreement represents a significant technological development. The slip skin and large seeds of the Concord grape make it difficult to use as an inclusion. However, using Taura Natural Ingredients’ technology to create FruitWorx opens up a world of new opportunities with unlimited potential.
Innovative concepts now available include Welch’s Concord grape juice and purée pieces enrobed in chocolate to make tasty treats, or combined with ancient grains to create exciting and nutritious new breakfast cereals. FruitWorx pieces and pastes, with their natural fruit sugars, are also perfect for delicious snack bars.
Wayne D. Lutomski, Vice President of International and Global Ingredients for Welch’s, said: 'Welch’s mission is to bring the great taste of the Concord grape to more places and to more people. Through our partnership with Taura Natural Ingredients, and its unique URC process, we will be able to take Concord grapes into applications never before imagined.'
Richard Croad, COO and President of Taura North America, added: 'Welch’s Concord grape juice products are widely known, enjoyed and trusted by millions of consumers and now, at last, food manufacturers can leverage this brand equity by using FruitWorx inclusions in their own products. The two companies are a natural fit, combining Welch’s brand leadership and high levels of awareness with Taura Natural Ingredients’ expertise in the creation of high quality concentrated pieces and pastes from real fruit. We’re excited about the prospects this offers in terms of building entirely new fruit concepts and applications based on Welch’s amazing Concord grape.'
American consumers have been enjoying Welch’s Concord grape juices for more than 140 years. Behind the Welch’s brand are approximately 1000 committed family farmer owners and the distinctive Concord grapes they have grown for generations. This one-of-a-kind dark purple grape is bold, delicious and delivers natural plant nutrients called polyphenols, similar to those found in red wine.
In fact, Welch’s 100% grape juice, made with Concord grapes, has a greater concentration of polyphenols than many other commonly consumed juices. In addition, research shows that Welch’s 100% grape juice can help support heart health by promoting healthy circulation.