BGG inaugurates Swiss base for global expansion of premium branded ingredients

12 Apr 2024 --- China-based BGG is strategically setting up its new global headquarters in Switzerland as part of a major restructuring plan. The branch will operate as BGG World from Basel and oversee the company’s international corporate strategy.

“We strongly believe that our three leading technology platforms — botanical extraction, enzymatic conversion and micro-algae farming — combined with continuous investment in clinical trials, will provide our customers with high-value, sustainable business potential for the long-term future,” says Chunhua Li, founder and principal shareholder of BGG.

Centralizing critical international functions in Switzerland will streamline the alignment of BGG’s offerings with its customers’ own strategies and enhance risk mitigation within the global supply chain. The move will leverage market opportunities for the premium branded ingredients supplier’s innovative technology platforms and diverse product portfolio.

International expansion
BGG is implementing a transformation that will foster deeper relationships with its international customers and partners while maintaining the strong production and R&D know-how it has developed over 25 years in China. The company procures and produces clinically tested ingredients for food and beverage products, dietary supplements and cosmetics.

 The company’s product range includes AstaZine (astaxanthin), ApplePhenon (apple polyphenols), CyaniMax (cyanidin three glucoside), FucoMax (fucoidan), LingonMax (lingonberry extract), MyrtiPRO (bilberry extract), TheraPrimE (blend of tocotrienols and tocotrienols-tocopherols) and ThinOgen (fucoxanthin).

“As we internationalize our organizational structure and operating model, we will be investing heavily in our commercial organization. We are currently hiring several sales managers in Europe and the US, and by doing so we will more than double our customer-facing resources in these key markets. At the same time, BGG will continue to invest in its asset base and in human clinical trials for its core products,” says Jürgen Nelis, CEO of BGG World. 

Diversification
BGG World plans to diversify into the food ingredients sector, beginning with its existing stevia and licorice extract solutions and broadening its product offerings in the next few years. In 2022, BGG World and its subsidiary Algae Health Sciences doubled its AstaZine natural astaxanthin capacity by expanding its glass tube photobioreactor microalgae farm.

The expansion addressed the global global demand for astaxanthin and the increase in brands worldwide using AstaZine. The development was built in the same area as the existing farm, about one kilometer from the south-central China site.

“This strategic overhaul underscores BGG World’s commitment to innovation and global leadership in the natural ingredients sector, promising a future of sustained growth and international success,” says Thomas Adler, global commercial director of BGG World.

By Inga de Jong