Kelebogile Nondzaba, speaks to Gary Coulson, Formulation Creations’ managing director on the launch of Gold Coast South Africa. Formulation Creations have been the exclusive African distributor for Gold Coast Ingredients for the past five years.
Gold Coast Ingredients (GCI) was founded in 1985 by James A Sgro in Southern California with the vision of delivering quality flavours made from certified organic, natural, non-GMO, N&A and conventional components. Over thirty years later that original vision still holds true. GCO remains committed to providing the finest flavours and food ingredients at an excellent value and fair price, delivered with service that is unsurpassed in promptness, courtesy and consistency. Its full line of flavours and colours are formulated for each industry’s unique requirements. GCI are a GPSI, AIB and QAI certified company that manufactures products at the highest global standards and offers custom formulation, OU and KOF – K kosher certified flavours including ISA certified halal flavours on request.
Launching in South Africa
Gold Coast South Africa was launched late August 2023 to minimise the current impact that expensive freight costs and long lead times are having on our existing and potential customers. “With our local compounding facility, we can offer much more flexible lead times at a lower cost,” says Coulson. The 1500sqm facility is based in Silvertondale, Pretoria and is soon to receive not only its food safety certifications such as FSSC 22000, Kosher and Halaal, but also the health and safety ISO 45001 standard. The factory is currently equipped to manufacture both liquid and powder flavours, with plans to implement spray drying and/or homogenisation facilities in its next phase of expansion.
The SA market will enjoy global quality flavours and creation capabilities on a local level at local prices and lead times. GCSA customers will enjoy technical access to the full flavour chemist team at GCI to formulate flavours that meet and exceed their expectations. “These will be available in flexible MOQs as low as 10kg – even on newly created flavours, a service that is sorely needed nowadays in our market but frequently not offered by the flavour industry,” he adds. GCSA will purely operate as a manufacturing hub that will utilise GCI’s existing distributor, Formulation Creations to promote and market the Gold Coast flavour range.
Formulations Creations
FC prides itself on operating in new creative, innovative and dynamic ways as seen with the purposed flavour laboratory in the public domain of Colbyn village nestled amongst coffee shops and restaurants. “Here we are in direct contact with the end consumer and sharing our passion for food science and flavours with the public. Founded in 2017, we have enjoyed the exclusive distribution rights for the African continent for Gold Coast Ingredients flavours and natural colours. With regards to other food ingredients, we have an array of pre-approved world-class suppliers that we work closely with to assist clients in achieving their product goals with notable strength in health actives, fortification and the likes,” says Coulson. The Pretoria research facility is where all the ‘magic’ happens using high grade ingredients in combination to make food product concepts become a reality. With over 10 000 different flavours that can be formulated to work in all food applications and a wide array of vitamins, extracts and actives, we have the confidence to fulfil a project brief and exceed their client’s expectations. Formulation Creations (FC) will remain the distributor for Gold Coast product range. The company will continue to promote the flavours alongside their existing range of sweetener, vitamins and active premix solutions.
They spend time investing the future of the food industry by running workshops at school science clubs and attending expos to encourage the cream of the crop to join the ranks of our food industry. The facility is also open to tertiary students who need to perform lab work on projects or shadow our team to get industry experience and ‘taste’ what the flavour world is like.
A brief example of Gold Coast Ingredients’ unique capabilities include:
- Custom flavours
- Flavour matching
- Flavour conversions from nne declaration to another
- Application development
- Super critical CO2 extractions
- Natural and vegetarian reaction flavours
- Colour blending
The company offers a full line of organic, natural, non-GMO, N&A, and conventional flavours offered in a wide range of consistencies:
