Guatemala

Tucked into Central America, Guatemala—or the Republic of Guatemala, as it’s formally known—is a treasure chest of color, mountains, and centuries-old stories. It hugs a land border with Mexico to the northwest and north, and cuddles Belize to the northeast, Honduras to the east, and El Salvador to the southeast. The Pacific runs along its southwestern shore, while the Caribbean sparkles to the east, adding maritime borders. With a population hovering around 18 million, it’s the most crowded corner of Central America. Steady, quiet progress has stitched a new chapter into the national fabric over the past few years, growth that often feels of the heartbeat variety has come from exports, remittances, and a manufacturing slice of the pie that is now carving out roughly $80 billion.

In the manufacturing sector, various components play a crucial role. Some help in the manufacturing of products, while others, like colours, enhance the visual appeal of the product and help the products to stand out in the competitive market. These visually appalling products attract the attention of customers and boost product sales. Guatemalan colour manufacturers prepare colour, but they are not sufficient to fulfill all the colour-related demand of the country. To get this opportunity and make profits, big colour merchants, traders, and distributors import food colours from other countries like India, China, Mexico, and the United States and sell them in the country at high prices. 

Some colour merchants, traders, and distributors of Guatemala sell the colours under the same brand name from which they bought the colour, while others create their own labels and sell the colour under their brand names. They import colours at very affordable prices and sell them in the country at high prices, making a profit on each sale.

In Guatemala, many small and large companies use colours in their products to make them appealing and attractive. Some of the key industries where colours play a vital role:

In the food and beverage industry of Guatemala, colours play an important role as they provide an appealing and attractive look to products, that catches the attention of the consumers and boosts product sales. Still, manufacturers often face some challenges in selecting the right colour for their products. Manufacturers want vibrant, stable, and consistent colours. Guatemalan food and beverage manufacturers overcome these challenges by using synthetic food colours in their products. These colours come in many different shade options that provide an appealing and attractive look to food and beverage products. These colours are stable which means they do not fade or change colours during product manufacturing and storage. Most of the food and beverage manufacturing industries of Guatemala are located near the country’s major cities like Villa Nueva, Mixco, Amatitlán, Quetzaltenango, Escuintla, and Guatemala City. According to Statista, the revenue of the food market of Guatemala in the year 2025 amounts to US$23.72 billion , and the market is expected to grow annually by 7.14% (CAGR 2025-2030).

Colours are vital in Guatemala's cosmetics industry. It is the most important component of various cosmetic products such as lipsticks, eyelashes, blushers, eyeliners, foundations, and more. It makes the products appealing and interesting for consumers which increases the sales and creates the brand identity of the product. However, manufacturers in Guatemala often face some challenges in selecting the right colour for their products. These challenges include the quality of colours, desired shades, and their vibrance. Guatemalan cosmetic manufacturers can overcome these challenges by using synthetic cosmetic colours in their products. These high-quality pigments come in many vibrant shades that allow manufacturers to create unique products that help in product recognition and increase sales. Most of the cosmetic and personal care manufacturing industries of Guatemala are located near cities like Guatemala City, Villa Nueva, Mixco, and Amatitlán. According to Statista, the beauty and personal care market of Guatemala is projected to generate a revenue of US$1.77 billion in 2025, and the market is expected to grow annually with a growth rate of 4.06% from 2025 to 2030.

Colours also play an important role in the pharmaceutical industry of Guatemala. They are used in medicines such as tablets, capsules, injectables, drops, and supplements to differentiate products and reduce the chances of incorrect medication. Still, pharmaceutical manufacturers in Guatemala often face challenges in selecting the right colour for their products. These challenges include stability, consistency, and regulatory compliance of colours. Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of Guatemala can overcome these challenges by using high-quality food-grade colours in their products. These food-grade colours provide stability to medicines and do not fade or bleed on products. These colours are also considered safe for human consumption as they are approved by the governmental body of Guatemala for use in pharmaceutical products. Most of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industries of Guatemala are located in Guatemala City, Mixco, Villa Nueva, and Quetzaltenango. According to Statista, the revenue of the pharmaceuticals market of Guatemala will amount to US$1.33 billion by the year 2025, and it is expected to grow annually at 4.17% by (CAGR 2025-2030).

In Guatemala, colours play a crucial role in the chocolate manufacturing industry. It provides an attractive and appealing look to the chocolates that attract the attention of consumers helping boost product sales, and increasing brand identity. Even so, chocolate manufacturers in Guatemala often face some challenges in selecting the right colour for their products. These challenges include stability, vibrance, and regulatory standards of the colours. Manufacturers can overcome these challenges by using high-quality synthetic food colors in their chocolates. These colours come in many different colour shades that help manufacturers to create unique coloured products which increase brand recognition and sales. Synthetic food colours are considered safe as they have to pass the regulatory standards set by the governmental bodies before being used in the products. Most of Guatemala's chocolate manufacturing industries are located near its capital Guatemala City and some big cities like Antigua, Cobán, Huehuetenango, and Quetzaltenango. According to Statista, the revenue of the confectionery market of Guatemala amounts to US$2.25 billion in 2025, and the market is expected to grow annually by 6.38% (CAGR 2025-2030).

Colour plays an important role in the Animal Feed industry of Guatemala. It helps in the differentiation of different types of animal feed like poultry, swine, and cattle. It also helps in making the feed appealing to animals so that they eat properly and stay healthy. However, animal feed manufacturers in Guatemala face some challenges in selecting the right colour for their products. These challenges include stability and vibrance of colour on the feed. Guatemalan animal feed manufacturers overcome these challenges by using high-quality synthetic animal food colours in their products. These colours come in many different colour shades that allow manufacturers to make their feed different from their competitors which helps in product sales and boosts recognition. Most of the animal feed manufacturing industries of Guatemala are situated near Escuintla, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala City, and Huehuetenango cities. According to Statista, the revenue of the animal feed market of Guatemala is estimated to be US$21.45 million in 2025, and the market is expected to grow annually by 5.89% (CAGR 2025-2030).

In Guatemala, colour is a great sign of cultural identity, an expression representing the nation’s deep cultural legacy and lively traditions. The general population tends to have preferred colours and manufacturers use those colours on their products to increase their sales and gain brand recognition in the market. Among these, yellow and red are considered to bear connotations of happiness or celebration; therefore, these are popular choices for festival food and beverages. The cosmetics and personal care manufacturing industry has found that earthy tones plus vibrant shades like red, pink, and yellow are preferred among Guatemalans as well. More particularly for chocolate products, rich browns with golden shades are preferred more among Guatemalans too. Manufacturers in Guatemala have always known the general preferences of people regarding such cultural favorites and thus channel their product creations accordingly toward enhancing product sales.

In Guatemala, the use of colours in products like food, drinks, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, animal feed, chocolates, etc., is overseen by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social - MSPAS). This government body ensures the safety of colours for human consumption and conducts inspections, sample testing, and enforcement actions from time to time to ensure the safety of colours.

Starting a new business in the Guatemalan market is not an easy task. Startups face lots of challenges such as competition with the existing product in the market, product pricing, and also product appearance which attracts the attention of customers. Startup businesses can overcome their many problems by only using high-quality synthetic food colours in their products. These colours come in various shades that help startups to make their product different from their competitors, which helps in brand recognition and increases the product's sales. Synthetic food colours are an affordable option compared to their natural alternatives, allowing manufacturers to launch their products at competitive prices in the market.

If you are a manufacturer or startup business in Guatemala and looking for high-quality, vibrant colours to create a strong brand identity and boost your product sales? Then, Ajanta Food Colours is the best option for you. Ajanta Food Colours is an Indian food colour manufacturing company with more than 75 years of legacy. It operates 5 integrated, advanced, and eco-friendly manufacturing plants in India that fulfill the colour demands of its clients globally.

Ajanta Food Colours offers a wide range of supra colours for various applications such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, animal feed, and more. To ensure the quality of its colours, Ajanta uses the latest technologies and machines in its manufacturing plants. These include ICP OES to detect heavy metals in raw materials and finished goods, high-performance liquid chromatography for organic impurities, UV spectrometry to analyze pigment content and strength, absorbance curves of colours, thin-layer chromatography, vacuum ovens for LOD tests, humidity detection in products, and color-matching machines along with other instruments for complete testing of raw materials and colours.

Ajanta Food Colours received various awards and certificates from the Indian governmental bodies as well as from the countries where Ajanta Colours exports its high-quality, FDA-approved colours. Some of the awards and certificates received by Ajanta Food Colours include The Arch of Europe Award, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Award, certifications from The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), as well as Halal, Alcumus ISOQAR, Star-K Kosher, Food Safety System 22000 (FSSC 22000), and ISOQAR certifications, among others.

To provide more convenience to clients, Ajanta Food Colours offers personalized assistance and support that ensures the timely delivery of colours whether they are transported by sea freight, air freight, or other methods. Its colour customization options for bulk orders, and complies with regulatory standards set by most governmental bodies worldwide add more convenience for their customers. This is beneficial for manufacturers who want to export their products to the international market and expand their reach. Ajanta Food Colours supplies high-quality colours at affordable prices, which is crucial in a competitive market like Guatemala.

To know more about Ajanta Food Colours and its high-quality colourants or for any other information, please contact us.