Commissioning of Production Facility in Ghent Belgium

We proudly announce our Rousselot business has successfully commissioned collagen peptides production at its Ghent Belgium location. Ghent is one of the main Rousselot collagen production sites and is exclusively producing porcine collagen. Ghent is also home to the Rousselot Expertise Center combining the global R&D Center, the EMEA application labs and the Pilot Hall opened in 2019. Rousselot Ghent is now well positioned to serve the worldwide market for collagen peptides with first commercial batches ready for delivery as of July.

"We are excited to announce the commissioning of this production facility in Ghent," said Randall C. Stuewe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Darling Ingredients. "Expanding our global production of hydrolyzed collagen is an important part of our strategy moving forward. Our Rousselot business has been producing bovine collagen peptides in Brazil and porcine collagen peptides in Angoulême, France and we have recently completed construction of a new state of the art production unit dedicated to fish collagen peptides in Angoulême as well," Stuewe added.

The first commercial batches of fish collagen peptides from the new facility will be delivered to Rousselot worldwide customers in August.

Furthermore, to answer the rapid growth of the bovine collagen market and to be closer to the European market, Rousselot Angoulême has now started to produce collagen peptides of bovine origin. Construction continues for the collagen peptides facility in Presidente Epitacio, Brazil which is expected to be completed in October 2020. Once completed, Darling will have four facilities which can produce bovine, porcine and fish collagen peptides.

"It was vital to review our production and supply chain organization and to build new production capabilities, able not only to respond to the strong collagen market growth but also to produce the collagens of superior quality that our customers and the consumers demand," explains Jos Vervoort, Executive Vice President Rousselot.