CK Ingredients 2024: Empowering Health Through Ingredient Science & Innovation!
In a rapidly evolving marketplace, the food and beverage industry demands more than just the basics; it craves innovation, quality, and a commitment to health and wellness. Since its humble beginnings as a local distributor of baking ingredients in 1994, CK Ingredients has transformed into a powerhouse of functional and nutritional raw material solutions, making a significant impact across North America and beyond. At the helm of this evolution is Michael Chernyak, President of CK Ingredients, whose vision and leadership have driven the company to become a trusted partner in the development of outstanding food, beverage, and natural health products. In this exclusive Delivery Rank’s interview, Michael Chernyak shares insights into CK Ingredients' journey from a family-founded business to a leader in ingredient science and innovation. He discusses the company's unique approach to selecting ingredient ranges, the importance of clinical evidence in developing consumer-compelling products, and how CK Ingredients continues to empower forward-thinking brands to create nutritionally superior, delicious, and cost-competitive offerings.
CK Ingredients has evolved significantly since its founding in 1994. What motivated the shift from a local distributor of baking ingredients to a supplier of high-value functional and nutritional raw materials across North America?
Frankly, it was a matter of survival – the company was facing an existential threat and needed to shift to a more sustainable approach. Independent retail bakeries were melting ice cubes – they were disappearing from the retail landscape as a convenience-driven consumer pivot began, away from these independents and increasingly toward in-store bakeries at grocery chains, large coffee/donut shop franchises, etc. The other trend in motion was a lack of interest from the next generation of bakers – young people did not want to wake up daily at 4am to bake bread, pastries and other items from scratch.
We identified a need in the overall food market for clean-label ingredients – for label-friendly alternatives to common food chemicals and preservatives. Consumers were beginning to pay careful attention to product labels and, specifically, ingredient statements – they were increasingly shunning synthetic preservatives and other chemicals. This created an opportunity for us to align with U.S. suppliers of innovative clean-label alternatives – we became an importer and distributor of these products to food manufacturers across Canada.
Around 2007, we embarked on the next phase of our evolution – our market research uncovered an opportunity in the dietary supplement (“NHP”) market (in Canada, dietary supplements are commonly known as NHPs – Natural Health Products). A growing number of consumer-facing NHP brands were seeking to differentiate their product formulations in an increasingly competitive and saturated market – this created an opportunity for us to source, import and supply proprietary nutraceutical (medicinal/therapeutic) raw materials which were supported by peer-reviewed published human clinical studies. In the ensuing 9 – 10 years, we brought a number of cutting-edge innovations to the Canadian market – this includes KSM-66® Ashwagandha for mood and stress support, EstroG-100® for menopause symptom relief, and NEM® for joint pain and stiffness. These ingredients quickly found success in the Canadian market due to their proven safety and efficacy, not to mention the formal approval of myriad health claims by Health Canada’s natural health products directorate (NNHPD).
In 2017, we launched our first ingredient in the U.S. market – we identified the U.S. as a huge growth opportunity for our business. Fast-forward 7 years, and we now supply over a dozen science-based ingredients to leading food, beverage and dietary supplement brands across all consumer channels in the U.S. market.
In a rapidly changing market, how does CK Ingredients stay ahead in sourcing the latest and best ingredient innovations globally?
As an ingredient supplier that engages with hundreds of consumer-facing food/nutrition brands on a regular basis, we sit on a unique perch – it enables us to identify common themes in the human nutrition industry. Furthermore, we acquire and carefully review market data from various reputable sources to help identify consumer trends that are in motion – it all starts (and ends) with the consumer.
Once we have a good handle on consumer needs/wants, we search for innovative raw materials that are positioned for on-trend categories – this includes women’s health, sports nutrition, digestive health, ingestible beauty/skincare, sleep support, weight management, cognitive function and more. Products that reach the commercial stage must adhere to a strict set of criteria – unique positioning, extensively safety data, high-quality human clinical studies published in peer-reviewed journals, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, formulation versatility, competitive cost-in-use, and a dependable and transparent supply chain. Industry networking and trade shows/conferences are particularly good sources for new product lines.
Your company emphasizes empowering health through ingredient science and innovation. How do you balance the demand for innovation with the need for sustainable and ethical sourcing of ingredients?
Science and innovation are our two pillars – this is what we’re known for in the industry. That means having very stringent criteria for new product selection – it means constantly evaluating a large number of prospective food/nutrition raw materials and only choosing a few select ones – only the very best. With that said, we only work with supplier partners who maintain GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices) and have third-party accreditations from reputable certifiers – this ensures consistent product quality for our customers and their consumers. Ethical and sustainable sourcing is always something we strive to achieve – for example, our Delphinol® and MaquiBright® maqui berry extracts (supported by over 10 published clinical studies in peer-reviewed journals) are harvested by hand, by indigenous people in Patagonia (Chile), with fair-trade practices incorporated. Sustainability is quickly becoming a must-have – no longer a nice-to-have – as part of the overall product selection process.
CK Ingredients is not just a distributor but also a professional sales and marketing organization. How does this dual role enhance your ability to serve clients and create value for supplier partners?
We’ve never been fond of the term “distributor” – especially as it applies to our business. From our vantage point, the term “ingredient distributor” has somewhat of a low-value connotation – it can refer to a glorified order-taker or logistics provider. CK is much more than this – we identify and of course cutting edge food and nutraceutical raw materials that, simply put, make products better. We strive to add value to our customer not only as an ingredient provider, but also as a resource – a source of valuable business and market insights. And yes, we do handle the traditional functions of a distributor – we manage complexities in logistics and customs clearance to make life easier for our clients. However, that’s not where the true value lies – the value is in our ability to partner with our clients, to support them in creating and launching safe, effective and differentiated food/nutrition products which will keep consumers coming back again and again.
Can you discuss the process CK Ingredients follows in hand-picking product ranges? What criteria do you consider essential for an ingredient to be selected for your portfolio?
As mentioned earlier, we only commercialize raw material innovations that meet a strict set of evaluation criteria – unique positioning, extensively safety data, high-quality human clinical studies published in peer-reviewed journals, intellectual property, regulatory compliance, formulation versatility, competitive cost-in-use, and a dependable and transparent supply chain. Internally, we developed a product scorecard that is used religiously when evaluating new product opportunities – it has served us well over the years, and we hope to continue on this positive trajectory. We’re big believers in “the trend is your friend”!
To read more about CK Ingredients, please visit https://ckingredients.com/