Duas Rodas taps into Brazil's botanical trend with herbal extract flavor

Founded in 1925 by German immigrants, Duas Rodas has three factories in Brazil, and four in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico, manufacturing a portfolio of over 3,000 ingredients including flavors, extracts and additives.

Last month, the company added a new aromatic herbal extract to its dotNAT – designed by nature – range, tapping into the growing trend for botanical ingredients and drinks with a more nuanced, bitter taste profile.

The aromatic extract contains a blend of star anise, balsamic and clove, among others, has an “expressive odor and bitter notes​”, the supplier said, suggesting it could be used in RTD cocktails, bitters or liqueurs.

According to a Mintel survey conducted in 2018, 28% of Brazilian consumers said they would like to drink more drinks or cocktails flavored with or containing herbs and spices.

Marco Paulo Pereira Henriques, marketing manager at Duas Rodas said: “Consumers are looking for new experiences, new flavors. In the liquor market, there is an interesting movement of cocktail remodeling, which is bringing classics unknown to the young consumer, revamped by customization and the possibility of new contrasts.”​

Duas Rodas bets on Mexico for ‘great growth’​

Beyond Brazil, Mexico is one of the main flavor markets in Latin America for Duas Rodas with “countless opportunities”, ​according to Rosemeri Francener, international business director at the company.

“In our expansion plan, we have Mexico as one of the great growth bets,”​ she told FoodNavigator-LATAM.​

“In addition to local consumption, which is the main focus, the country brings us closer to the producers of ingredients that we use to develop our portfolio of extracts from Latin America and that we direct mainly to the USA, Europe and Asia, such as nopal and hibiscus.”​

Innovation and new product development is a fundamental pillar of Duas Rodas’ competitiveness, said Francener, and it invests 5% of its annual turnover into R&D.

Native fruit flavors for regional​

The supplier also has a range of flavors of native fruits, leaves, seeds and flowers, Fruittion Botanicals, that allows Latin American manufacturers to create products that cater to local and regional taste preferences.

Describing the range as a celebration of Latin America’s extraordinary biodiversity, it includes native ingredient flavors such as guaraná, açaí, mate, camu- camu, maqui, physalis, hibiscus, graviola, mirtilo and lulo, also known as naranjilla.

Clean label​

Francener said clean label demand is definitely present in Latin America but does not always translate into willingness-to-pay.

“Studies reveal that more Latin Americans say they are willing to pay more for foods and beverages that do not contain undesirable ingredients and also for those that offer attributes such as vitamins and minerals or fiber,” ​she said.

“Consumers want to find more natural products on the shelves, with low levels of fat, sugar and sodium, for example. They are also more attentive to packaging labels to check the nutritional content.​

“This public is growing, but the higher price of products free from artificial colors and flavors is still a barrier when choosing the product on the shelf,” ​she added.