To celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary, we asked Heinz Niggli, Senior Vice President, and Claudia Mastrangelo, Managing Director Europe, a series of questions about the journey so far. From the factors behind the company’s sustained growth to the strengths that have driven 20 years of success in ingredient distribution, they share their perspectives and reflections.
Divi’s Nutraceuticals is marking 20 years since its founding in 2006 – what does this milestone represent for the company today?
HN: This 20-year milestone represents both a moment of pride and a springboard for the future. Since our founding in 2006, we’ve built our reputation on consistent quality, reliable global supply, a broad and versatile ingredient portfolio, and a strong culture of innovation. Over the years, we’ve achieved strong growth and established a global presence, with more than 400 employees supporting both large international companies and local brands, so much so that our ingredients can now be found in many supplements, foods and beverages around the world. We are also proud to be the largest producer of astaxanthin for aquaculture.
CM: Just as importantly, this milestone reflects the trust and long-term partnerships we’ve developed with our customers and suppliers. Today, it’s not only about celebrating what we’ve achieved, but also about reinforcing our commitment to keep evolving: investing in innovation, strengthening collaboration, and continuing to deliver high-quality, reliable solutions that help our partners succeed in a changing market.
“This milestone reflects the trust and long-term partnerships we’ve developed with our customers and suppliers.”
With a broad portfolio of carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins, how has Divi’s evolved to meet changing global nutraceutical needs?
HN: We’ve evolved by placing innovation at the core of everything we do. With a dedicated R&D department driving continuous development, we closely follow market trends and respond to changing consumer needs, whether that’s cleaner labels, enhanced nutrition or higher-performing ingredients.
This approach has enabled us to build a truly differentiated portfolio, including the broadest beta-carotene range on the market with more than 40 forms, alongside a wide selection of carotenoids and fat-soluble vitamins. Over the years, we’ve introduced pioneering solutions across nutraceuticals, food, beverages, as well as animal feed and pet nutrition.
Through ongoing investment in research and close industry collaboration, we stay ahead of global trends and deliver innovative, high-quality ingredients that empower our partners to remain competitive and lead in their markets.
You now offer over 100 formulation formats – how important is innovation in formulation to your continued growth?
CM: Innovation in formulation is absolutely central to our continued growth. With over 100 formulation formats, we’ve built a portfolio designed to meet virtually any application, from food and beverages to supplements and specialty products, giving our customers the flexibility to innovate and differentiate.
What really drives this is our close collaboration with clients: we work hand in hand to tailor the right solutions, whether the goal is clean label, enhanced nutrition or bold new colors. By continuously expanding and refining our formulation capabilities, we ensure we can meet increasingly specific needs and help our customers bring their ideas to life.
“Innovation in formulation is absolutely central to our continued growth.”
What makes solutions like MiniBeads and AstaBead stand out in terms of performance and customer value?
HN: MiniBeads stand out thanks to our proprietary micro-encapsulation technology, which creates particles about 30% finer than standard beadlets, ensuring excellent uniformity, especially in premixes and fine powders. They deliver a strong balance of stability and bioavailability, along with easy handling, consistent performance and reliable results across applications. Ultimately, they help customers simplify formulation while improving product quality and consistency.
AstaBead stands out by combining sustainable sourcing with advanced formulation expertise. Produced from microalgae using renewable energy and leveraging strong know-how in fat-soluble ingredient formulation, it delivers a high-quality, natural astaxanthin solution in easy-to-handle beadlet form. What truly differentiates it is performance and efficiency: AstaBead offers the highest concentration available in a beadlet, enabling lower cost-in-use and allowing for smaller tablets and capsules while maintaining excellent application performance and consistency for customers.
CM: Beyond this, our innovation in formulation continues to evolve with solutions such as silicon dioxide-free products without nanoparticles. Thanks to our state-of-the-art capabilities, we can produce spray-dried ingredients without adding silicon dioxide, while maintaining similar flowability and excellent uniformity in premixes compared to conventional products. We also offer a Novel Application range developed in response to growing consumer demand for simpler, cleaner-label products, including formulations with no added sugar, gluten, synthetic antioxidants, silicon dioxide, palm oil, or nanoparticles, helping customers reduce additives without compromising performance.
How does Divi’s global R&D and application lab network help brands bring new products to market faster?
HN: Our global R&D and application lab network plays a key role in accelerating product development for our customers. With experts based across application labs on three continents, we can work closely with brands locally and globally, supporting them from early concept all the way to final formulation. This setup allows us to respond quickly, test ideas in real conditions, and adapt solutions to specific market needs and regulatory requirements.
A good example is the development of a gummy format combining our newly launched vitamin K2 with vitamin D3. These two nutrients work synergistically, and we were able to bring them together in a stable, consumer-friendly gummy, also colored with beta-carotene for a natural appeal.
CM: By combining scientific expertise, formulation know-how, and a globally connected lab network, we help customers reduce development time, solve technical challenges faster, and bring innovative products to market more efficiently. As we celebrate 20 years of success, we remain committed to building on this foundation and supporting our customers’ growth and innovation for many years to come.
