Symrise has completed a major upgrade to its Pasaje site in southern Ecuador. The facility produces banana and tropical dry ingredients. A new workshop aims to further support customers’ innovations. Also, the project includes the reconstruction of factory areas impacted by the 2023 earthquake.
Located in the heart of a major banana-growing region, the Pasaje facility produces flakes and powders from bananas and other tropical fruits. The latest investments include additional drum dryers in a new drying zone, as well as anti-seismic infrastructure. Modernized office spaces upgrade working conditions.
“These improvements raise the site to the highest food safety and anti-seismic standards. In addition, we have significantly expanded production capacity to meet rising customer demand. The reconstruction of damaged parts of the factory, following the earthquake, also contributes to an optimal working environment for our employees. This increased drying capacity reinforces Symrise’s ability to supply consistent, safe, and high-quality natural ingredients to food, beverage & baby food manufacturers worldwide.”
– Felipe Cuevas, LATAM Operational Director, Symrise Food & Beverage Naturals.
“The Pasaje site plays a strategic role in our Symrise global production network. With this upgrade, we are reinforcing our leadership position in the banana and tropical dry ingredients market. Our unique location and industrial setup open doors for innovative solutions to serve confectionary, baby food, bakery, or savory markets.”
– Aurélie Pellé, Global Product Line Director for Fruit & Vegetables, Symrise Food & Beverage Naturals.
With this investment, Symrise reaffirms its long-term commitment to Ecuador and the production of tropical ingredients.
With additional drum dryers and a new drying zone, it can scale output to meet increasing global demand for natural banana and tropical fruit ingredients, especially in baby food, beverages, and snacks.
Strengthening its role in the banana and tropical dry ingredients market positions Symrise to lead in product innovation and quality, especially for clean-label and sustainable food solutions.
In 2003, Symrise was created as an umbrella organization when the Bayer subsidiary Haarmann & Reimer (H&R), based in Holzminden, Germany, merged with competitor Dragoco.
It is a large German chemical manufacturing company that produces flavors and fragrances and that had annual sales within Symrise AG in terms of flavors and fragrances of the order of 4.999 billion euros in 2024. Parts of its rivals exist in Givaudan, Takasago International Corporation, International Flavors and Fragrances, and Dohler as well. Symrise is a company member of the European Flavour Association. In 2021, Symrise ranked 4th on the Global Top 50 Food Flavors and Fragrances Companies list of FoodTalks.