Sethness Roquette has made significant strides in the food coloring industry through its strategic expansion of caramel color offerings following the 2018 merger. The acquisition, finalized in Q3 2018, united Roquette’s global presence with Sethness Products Company’s specialized expertise in caramel color production after 15 years of successful partnership. This powerful alliance has created a dominant force in the food coloring market, with manufacturing capabilities spanning four countries across three continents. As CEO Jean-Marc Gilson emphasized, this move directly supports Roquette’s growth ambitions in the food and beverage sector while delivering enhanced value to customers worldwide.
The Birth of a Caramel Color Powerhouse
The formation of Sethness Roquette marked a pivotal moment in the food coloring industry. The 2018 acquisition built upon a solid 15-year collaborative relationship between the two companies, creating a seamless transition to full ownership. Headquartered in Skokie, Illinois, Sethness brought decades of specialized caramel color expertise to complement Roquette’s established presence in plant-based ingredients.
This strategic merger has proven particularly valuable in today’s market where consumers increasingly scrutinize food ingredients. With manufacturing facilities strategically positioned across the USA, France, India, and China, the company maintains a truly global production footprint. This worldwide presence allows Sethness Roquette to serve regional markets efficiently while maintaining consistent quality standards across all products.
Jean-Marc Gilson, Roquette’s CEO, identified clear strategic benefits from the acquisition, stating, “This acquisition will help accelerate Roquette’s growth plan in the Food & Beverage market, and further drive value for our customers.” The merger combines Sethness’s specialized knowledge with Roquette’s broader portfolio and global reach, creating synergies across multiple product lines. I’ve watched this partnership evolve into a formidable force in the food coloring sector, consistently pushing innovation boundaries.
For food manufacturers seeking authentic natural color options for snacks, Sethness Roquette has become an essential resource. Their commitment to quality and innovation in caramel coloring mirrors the broader trend toward cleaner labels and more transparent ingredient sourcing that continues to shape the food industry in 2025.
Diversifying the Color Palette: New Product Innovations
Sethness Roquette has significantly broadened its caramel color portfolio to address evolving market demands. The expanded lineup now features an impressive range of liquid and powdered caramel colors, including specialized formulations like their dark Class I powder variant. This diversification directly responds to food manufacturers’ growing need for versatile, high-performance colorants that work across multiple applications.
The updated portfolio particularly shines through its clean-label offerings. These include non-GMO, certified organic, gluten-free, and allergen-free products that align perfectly with current consumer preferences. One standout example is the Sethness 858 Powdered Caramel Color Class IV – E150D, which delivers remarkable color flexibility from subtle yellows to deep blacks.
Manufacturing these advanced colorants occurs across their global facilities in the USA, France, India, and China. This distributed production model ensures consistent availability worldwide while maintaining strict quality controls. The technical versatility of these new formulations makes them suitable for applications ranging from beverages and baked goods to sauces and prepared meals.
This caramel color expansion complements other advances in natural colorants happening across the industry. The development mirrors similar innovations occurring with carmine, a natural red dye that has undergone its own revolution in recent years. Both trends reflect the food industry’s broader shift toward natural coloring agents that deliver performance without compromising label transparency.
The Science Behind Caramel Colors
Caramel colors result from a carefully controlled process called caramelization. During this process, carbohydrates like corn syrup or cane sugar undergo heating under specific temperature and pH conditions. This controlled thermal decomposition creates the characteristic brown colors and flavor compounds that define caramel.
The four main classes of caramel colors (I through IV) differ based on the particular reactants used and the resulting chemical properties. Class I caramels, for instance, are produced without ammonium compounds and maintain a more neutral ionic charge. Class IV caramels, by contrast, incorporate both ammonium and sulfite compounds, creating stronger coloring potential and improved stability in certain applications.
Each caramel class serves specific functions in different food systems. The technical distinctions between these classes matter significantly for food formulators seeking particular performance characteristics. For example, the stability of caramel colors in various pH environments varies considerably between classes, making some better suited for acidic beverage applications while others excel in neutral baked goods.
The science of food coloration continues to advance rapidly across all natural color families. These developments in caramel technology parallel the broader trends in how food colors are evolving in 2025, balancing consumer demands for natural ingredients with the technical performance manufacturers require.
Caramel Colors: Essential Ingredients in Global Food Systems
Caramel colors hold the distinction of being the most widely used food colorants globally. They appear in an astonishing variety of products, from the obvious applications like colas and soy sauce to less expected items such as bread, pet food, and breakfast cereals. This ubiquity speaks to their versatility, stability, and consumer acceptance across diverse food categories.
The statistics highlight just how prevalent these colorants have become: approximately 1 in 20 food items found in typical supermarkets contains caramel coloring. This widespread use stems from caramel’s ability to reproducibly create appealing visual characteristics that signal specific flavors and qualities to consumers. As Roquette notes, caramel color helps “make food look as delicious as it tastes.”
The historical use of caramel colors extends back centuries, demonstrating their enduring importance in food preparation and presentation. This long history of safe use contributes significantly to their continued popularity with food manufacturers and regulatory acceptance worldwide. The cultural significance of caramel extends beyond just industrial food coloring and into traditional cooking techniques across numerous culinary traditions.
Many of our favorite global dessert traditions incorporate caramel elements not just for flavor but for their distinctive coloration. From French crème caramel to Mexican cajeta, the visual appeal of caramelized sugars plays a crucial role in signaling deliciousness across cultural boundaries. For those interested in exploring these connections further, discovering global caramel desserts to try offers a delicious way to appreciate the culinary importance of these ingredients.
Shaping the Future of Food Coloration
Sethness Roquette’s strategic expansion reflects their forward-thinking approach to market needs. Their portfolio development directly aligns with Roquette’s broader goal to strengthen its position in the Food, Nutrition, and Health markets globally. This alignment creates a cohesive vision for future growth that balances innovation with reliability and consistency.
The long-term strategic vision marries Roquette’s global outlook with Sethness’s deep expertise in caramel color technology. This combination positions the company to respond effectively to changing consumer preferences and regulatory environments. Their focus on both traditional caramel applications and emerging clean-label opportunities demonstrates their balanced approach to market development.
CEO Jean-Marc Gilson emphasized the importance of this collaborative approach, highlighting the value of working with Sethness’s talented teams to address customer needs worldwide. This people-focused strategy recognizes that technical innovation ultimately depends on human expertise and creativity. The company’s investments in manufacturing capabilities across four countries further reinforce this commitment to serving global markets effectively.
Looking ahead, Sethness Roquette appears well-positioned to maintain its leadership in caramel color technology while expanding into adjacent areas of food ingredients. Their emphasis on clean-label options particularly aligns with ongoing consumer trends toward greater ingredient transparency. As food manufacturers continue seeking reliable, versatile colorants that meet changing regulatory and consumer expectations, Sethness Roquette’s expanded portfolio offers solutions that bridge traditional performance with forward-looking formulation needs.