The Blauvelt, New York-based firm said the new facility, which is located at its corporate headquarters, will be used for contract dry blending of custom powder blends for capsules and tablets as well as blending and packaging powdered drink mixes.
“With the addition of our own blending facility, we will now have further control of bulk and final product blending, testing and packaging. Since the facility is located within our corporate headquarters, which also houses our in-house laboratory and warehouse, we expect shorter lead-times for all production resulting from the elimination of unnecessary transport time,” said Jeff Wuagneux, RFI’s president and CEO.
Time and money
Until now, RFI has been outsourcing most of its blending, and lead times have ranged between six to eight weeks. With in-house blending at the new facility, lead times can be reduced to around four to six weeks, RFI told NutraIngredients-USA.com.
This could also potentially cut costs for customers due to fewer transportation and shipping costs, but the firm would not reveal any specific levels of cost savings.
Another key benefit for customers is in-house GMP controls and a quicker response to customer blending needs.
Capacity and certification
RFI said it ultimately plans to conduct the majority (around 85 percent) of its blending in-house. The new facility, which was up and running in June this year, is currently at 30-40 percent capacity and plans to be running at full capacity in a year’s time.
At full capacity, the facility can handle around 10,000 kilos of powder blends per day.
RFI said its facility is kosher and Halal-approved, and also has organic certification.
The firm’s main focus is on organic ingredients for the functional food and dietary supplement market, such as beverage mixes, spirulina and chlorella.
Other ingredients the company provides include antioxidants, fruit and vegetable powders, cereal grasses, and botanical compounds.