Exceptional circumstances have had an unimaginable grip on Europe for more than four months now. Time, then, to seek an interim opinion on how the crisis is affecting one of the major raw material suppliers. sweets processing spoke to Gustav Deiters, Managing Partner of the Crespel & Deiters Group, about the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

sweets processing: Mr Deiters, since March of this year, nothing in our lives has remained the same. How does the crisis situation affect Crespel & Deiters as a traditional family-run company?
Gustav Deiters: In more than 160 years of the company’s history, Crespel & Deiters has experienced many things, including two world wars. For our current generation, the extreme situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic is an unprecedented challenge. Nevertheless, after these first few months, we can definitively say that we are grateful for the health and loyalty of our employees, the good and long-standing relationships with our partners and customers, and our product, which remains our passion. Wheat is an absolutely essential basic raw material. Due to its regional tradition, it is available to all of us, even in times of crisis.

sp: But certainly, the crisis is affecting your supply chains and production. How do you react?
Deiters: As we only process EU wheat, at least 75 percent of which comes from Germany, we can maintain our supply chains. Targeted stockpiling, long-term supply contracts and supplier relationships also contribute to our good raw material supply. As far as possible, we have created home office solutions for our employees and replaced meetings with telephone and video conferences. Within the company, we are paying attention to increased hygiene measures. We have even rented external office space in order to ensure spatial separation. The protection of our employees who, in addition to our products, make a huge contribution to our success, is our top priority.

sp: How do you see the consequences of the crisis for your industry?
Deiters: The impact of the pandemic on the industry and society as a whole will definitely be significant. In order to be prepared for challenges “post corona” as early as possible, we have set up a task force to deal with possible future scenarios in a targeted manner. We are developing alternative solutions for various situations, so that the Crespel & Deiters Group can continue to move forward positively and with an eye to the future, even if general working conditions change. Automated production processes, updated shift arrangements, restructured workflows as well as forward-looking planning and stockpiling continue to secure our production strength.

sp: What lessons can be learned from the crisis?
Deiters: In March and April, there were daily reports in the media about panic buying. People were afraid of empty shelves, and flour was sold out for weeks in the supermarkets. This fear of a shortage of staple foods clearly shows that wheat is an indispensable raw material for society. Despite many of the “marketing trends” of an affluent society – gluten free products, for example – a crisis reveals what really matters. We do not want to play down gluten intolerance, but it affects less than three percent of the population. Wheat, however, provides important ingredients for a healthy organism, and is an indispensable staple food for the nutrition of a growing global population. Moreover, it is also multifunctional, regionally available and sustainable. Yet, hardly anyone knows that through coupled production, meaning the manufacture of different products from one starting material, wheat can be almost completely utilized, with a yield of 99 percent.
An efficient and resource-saving approach to the environment is thus guaranteed. For the grain, milling and starch industries, this means we can say that we are systemically relevant. Our products provide society with a secure foundation for the present, and also have enormous, innovative and future-proof potential. And that is what is needed in a crisis.

sp: What message would you like to send specifically to the bakery and snack industries?
Deiters: Since its foundation, Crespel & Deiters has seen itself as a partner to its clients. Our subsidiary Loryma has been supplying the food indusries with high-quality wheat proteins and modified starches of consistently premium quality for more than 40 years. Through long-term experience, we have built up a broad knowledge and deep understanding of the possibilities offered by our raw material, wheat. It is traditional for us to make this know-how available to our customers during product development, as well as to assist with improvement or modification of existing food products to adapt to new customer needs and consumer trends. Quality, production and delivery reliability are top priorities at Loryma. These standards are now paying off: even in a crisis, we are well-placed to offer sustainable innovation strategies and forward-looking solutions.

Crespel & Deiters in profile
The Crespel & Deiters Group, an owner-managed group of companies with 350 employees, is one of the leading producers of wheat starches and wheat proteins in Europe. At its headquarters in Ibbenbüren/Ger-many, wheat-based raw materials are produced using the latest technologies, sustainable processes and innovative strength. The company processes mainly German wheat into flour, in regional grain mills. The wheat flour is suspended by adding water to form a dough which is broken down by centrifugal force. Physical separation such as evaporation, sieving and extraction delivers high-quality wheat products like proteins, fibres and extracts. During the refinement of these raw materials, highly functional products are created by mixing, extrusion and modification – products which can then be used efficiently in various industries. The products and solutions serve the food industry, marketed under the subsidiary brand Loryma, while C&D Corrugating & Paper and C&D Technical Applications offer applications for other industries. New brands are Trigea and Crespeo, which produce pet food and feed ingredients.