Chr. Hansen

Chr. Hansen Holding A/S, a bioscience company, develops natural ingredient solutions for the food, nutritional, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through Food Cultures & Enzymes, and Health & Nutrition segments. The Food Cultures & Enzymes segment produces and sells various cultures, enzymes, and probiotic products that determine the taste, flavor, texture, shelf life, nutritional value, and health benefits of various consumer products in the food industry, primarily in the dairy industry. The Health & Nutrition segment produces and sells products for the dietary supplement, over-the-counter pharmaceutical, infant formula, animal feed, and plant protection industries. It has a strategic collaboration with UPL Ltd. to develop and commercialize microbial-based bio solutions for sustainable agriculture. The company was founded in 1843 and is headquartered in Hørsholm, Denmark.

The company is named for its founder, Christian D. A. Hansen, a pioneering Danish chemist whose work focused on enzymes. Hansen began the company in 1874 as a joint venture with pharmacist H.P. Madsen.

Initial products included animal rennet for cheese-making as well as annatto-based coloring agents for butter and cheese. Operations in the United States were begun in 1878. Their lines soon expanded to include starter cultures for cheese, yogurt and sour cream. Hansen's son Johannes took over the company in 1916 upon his father's death. That same year, the company began production in England to bypass the German World War I blockade of exports to Great Britain and beyond. Facilities in Italy and Germany followed in 1936 during the inter-war period. Further international expansion followed, and the 1970s and 1980s saw a period of acquisition of other firms. In 1991, the Lundbeck Foundation obtained majority control of the company and initiated a major restructuring into a holding company format. Additional growth and consolidation followed, and Chr. Hansen Group was spun off into a separate, independent company in 2005.

Our purpose is to deliver natural innovative solutions that address global challenges by advancing food, health and productivity

Chr. Hansen will focus on balancing the goal of growing faster than the underlying natural colors market and increasing the profitability of the business. New investments in production and application development facilities will create a stronger business.