Embracing the Future with a New „Scent Profile“
Interview with Christian Düllberg, SOFW Journal, 12/2012
Designing new, creative fragrances is all part of day-to-day business for Düllberg Konzentra. SOFW spoke to managing director Christian Düllberg about current developments, quality standards and visions.
Mr. Düllberg, you have just unveiled a new design for your image brochure and website with a look that is clearer, more elegant, more succinct. What brought about this change?
Ch. Düllberg: It was time to show a modern face, one which immediately signals to our customers just what it is that makes us unique. We develop creative, inspiring fragrances and are renowned for our high degree of automation and our absolute commitment to precision and quality. Our new visual language aims to communicate exactly this balance: we give our customer sufficient space for visions – and we possess the technological expertise to make these visions a reality.
What are you currently working on?
Ch. Düllberg: At the SEPAWA Congress this year, we presented fabric conditioner fragrances that use fine perfumery as their point of reference – an emerging trend across the entire Home Care and Personal Care segment. Discount supermarkets, in particular, are increasingly using high-quality scents in their own-label products. We also presented special perfume oils for household products under the name EU-Ecolabel.
What distinguishes you from other fragrance manufacturers on the market?
Ch. Düllberg: Since Düllberg Konzentra was founded we have attached the utmost importance to the purity and quality of our products. We choose the companies, we source our ingredients from with the utmost care and we inspect all raw materials using ultra-sensitive analysis methods. Our distillation unit is one of the most advanced in the industry, allowing us to filter essential oils as gently as possible and standardize our products. We are in a position to supply our customers with precisely the required quality for any conceivable application. Our degree of process automation also helps us to achieve the very highest precision: with 85%, we are pioneers in our industry.
You also produce essential oils for the pharmaceuticals industry…
Ch. Düllberg: Yes, essential oils are a widely used ingredient in capsules, cough syrups, medical baths or rubs. Pharmaceutical manufacturers have to comply with very strict requirements. Within Germany, we are a key supplier of essential oils produced in compliance with the EU GMP standards and the European Pharmacopoeia – and that applies to a large proportion of our portfolio. We are able to achieve these high standards with our dedicated GMP production room and the stringent hygiene and safety standards that are in place throughout the factory.
You work with customers worldwide. Which are your most important markets?
Ch. Düllberg: At present, we are expanding strongly in the Middle East, where we already generate a significant proportion of our turnover; sales in the region are growing annually by more than 10%. In response to this development we opened a subsidiary in Dubai in 2008. Fragrances »Made in Germany« command a high degree of trust there because our customers know they can depend on receiving outstanding quality and good value for money. The region is also very attractive for our perfumers as consumers are far more courageous in their fragrance tastes and are more prepared to experiment than in Europe or the US. For example, we combine classic French scents with typical Oriental notes such as oud or saffron; in Western countries fragrances such as these would only stand a chance as niche products. India is also a very interesting market for us. Recently, we were the first German fragrance manufacturer to exhibit at the Beauty & Spa Expo in New Delhi and were able to establish numerous very promising contacts.
And what are your current projects in this region?
Ch. Düllberg: For the Arab market we are presently developing so-called »Solid Fragrances«, which are crystallised perfume oils that become so firm that they can be rubbed straight on the skin, akin to a deodorant crystal. Perfume products like these are very popular in the Arab region, and the response we received at this year’s Beautyworld in Dubai was very positive. As soon as we have developed the ideal application form, we will be launching this innovative product on the market there. The company started out 70 years ago by processing essential oils.
How important is this segment for you today?
Ch. Düllberg: Essential oils remain the core of our product portfolio; they are responsible for a large proportion of our turnover. We have 2,800 different essential oils and scents always in stock. We have been seeing an increase in demand from the developing countries, because many of the oral care or wellness products that have been on the market in Europe for a long, long time are only just starting to become popular in these countries. In Europe we are seeing a rising demand for organically-produced essential oils. As we received ECOCERT certification a number of years ago, we are in a position to guarantee our customers high quality products in this segment. Our Natura concept, which comprises perfume compositions on the basis of essential oils in their natural state, is also performing very well.
Where do you see Düllberg Konzentra being in 10 years?
Ch. Düllberg: We want to continue along the path that has made us so successful in the industry for the past 70 years, and we aim to continue to expand our technical expertise and our creative team of international perfumers. Our long-term goal is definitely to take up one of the top positions in the highest league of European fragrance manufacturers