China’s BGG establishing new HQ in Switzerland to pursue double business growth in five years
The facility in Basel will operate as BGG World and be managed by newly appointed CEO Jürgen Nelis, supported by Global Commercial Director Thomas Adler, to spearhead the company’s international corporate strategy.
The opening of this new headquarters represents a “significant leap forward” for the firm’s expansion efforts, as it seeks to build on more than 25 years of continuous growth by fostering deeper relationships with its international customers and partners, while maintaining its production and R&D roots in China.
“The objective of moving our operative headquarters to Switzerland is to be closer to the European market and as a result, better align our offerings with the needs and strategies of our clients and their target consumers.
“We want to double our business within the next five years. This requires not only investment into our products, but also our organisational structure and operating model. We are currently hiring several sales managers in Europe and the US. By doing so, we will more than double our customer-facing resources in these key markets,” Nelis told NutraIngredients-Asia.
BGG also believes that centralising critical international functions in Switzerland will address the needs of its customers more efficiently and enhance risk mitigation in relation to the supply chain.
Investing in clinical trials and NPD
At the same time, BGG will continue to invest in its asset base and in human clinical trials for its core products. This may include conducting studies together with its clients.
“We are currently finishing a clinical trial in Japan with our ApplePhenon (apple polyphenols), and are in the planning phase of a study with TheraPrimE (blend of tocotrienols and tocotrienols-tocopherols) and ThinOgen (fucoxanthin).
“We are also preparing for a study involving an innovative product combination for a very specific value proposition. Due to intellectual property reasons, we cannot yet disclose this proprietary formulation.”
In line with its “aggressive growth strategy”, the company intends to broaden its product portfolio in the coming years.
Specifically, it has revealed plans to diversify further into the food ingredients category, starting with its existing stevia and licorice extract solutions.
“First of all, we want to capture the potential of Vitosa, our next-generation stevia line, which will also allow us to create custom-made stevia solutions. Apart from our own technology push for other ingredients catering to the food industry, we also aspire to co-develop solutions with food companies,” said Nelis.
Furthermore, Chunhua Li, founder of BGG, added that the firm’s three leading technology platforms — botanical extraction, enzymatic conversion, and micro-algae farming — coupled with continuous investment in clinical trials, will provide its customers with high-value, sustainable business potential for the long-term future.
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