Following completion of a 4,000 ton-per-year capacity expansion for its malic and food-grade fumaric acid production facility, Bartek Ingredients, Inc. has expanded its leadership team with the hiring of Jeff Billig as v.p. of marketing & business development and Heinrich G. Schaefer as international sales director.
Bartek’s investment in both its team and facilities reinforces its position as the leader in malic and fumaric acid market and aligns with its mission to increase global reach to better serve existing customers and markets while opening up new ones.
The addition of Billig and Schaefer lays the foundation for additional resource investment while increasing its sales and marketing presence, better supporting a global supply chain serving food, beverage, confectionery, pharmaceutical, animal nutrition and industrial markets.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled about these additions to Bartek’s growing team,” Bartek CEO John Burrows said. “Both Jeff and Heinrich bring substantial industry experience and a breadth of skill sets that are critical in supporting Bartek as it continues to expand its presence as the global leader in malic and fumaric acid ingredients.”
Billig comes to Bartek with 30 years of experience in the food, pharmaceutical and specialty chemical ingredient industries. He brings a broad set of skills from a variety of marketing, business development and general management roles. Over the last five years, he was the general manager of Delavau Food Partners and was previously business director at Ingredion for its polyol and dry dextrose product lines in North America. He is focused on growing sales, improving margins and driving new growth opportunities for Bartek.
Based at Bartek’s new German branch, Schaefer provides extensive international sales experience in the food ingredient and specialty industries. He most recently worked as the global sales director for HYET Sweet, a high-intensity sweetener supplier for the beverage, food, pharmaceutical and confectionery industries. He also worked at Jungbunzlauer for 23 years, where he was responsible for overseeing staffing and growth of its global sales team and extensive international distribution network, focused primarily on citric acid. At Bartek, he will help facilitate the company’s direct sales and distribution programs in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Distributing to over 40 countries, Bartek ingredients provide versatile solutions for a range of industrial application. TorQuest Partners acquired Bartek in October 2018 and is investing in projects to embody the company’s continued commitment to its customers worldwide. Projects scheduled for completion in 2019 include state-of-the-art upgrades to Bartek’s laboratories and office facilities.
