LILLE, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gnosis by Lesaffre is expanding its capability as a global supplier of vitamin K2 with its acquisition of NattoPharma, another renowned supplier.
Vitamin K2 is an essential nutrient for optimal bone and cardiovascular health, but the modern diet does not include sufficient quantities of it. Only a few foods are naturally high in vitamin K2, such as natto, a Japanese fermented soybean dish, and these are not a mainstream part of diets in the United States or elsewhere. As a result, supplementation is necessary.
Gnosis by Lesaffre’s vitaMK7® and NattoPharma’s MenaQ7® solutions have been a part of formulations for nutraceutical and functional food products for over 10 years. This acquisition allows Gnosis by Lesaffre to offer to the market the most complete portfolio of solutions, adapted to each market need and able to satisfy all customers.
With the acquisition, the two players are coming together to expand their capabilities, their global reach, and to fuel future innovation as demand for vitamin K2 grows.
“Vitamin K2 impacts every part of our lives,” Gnosis by Lesaffre General Manager Marc Philouze said. “From our joints to our arteries all the way down to our cells, vitamin K2 is essential for the function of several calcium-binding proteins that empower us to thrive as human beings. We’re proud to help satiate the global demand for this key ingredient by joining efforts with NattoPharma.”
Gnosis by Lesaffre and NattoPharma share the foundational values of clinically validated science and unrivaled product quality, and with this acquisition, they will collaborate to leverage combined capabilities between their teams in key areas to set the roadmap for the future of vitamin K2.
“I am proud of the entrepreneurial journey accomplished by the NattoPharma team to build the vitamin K2 market and supporting science over the past decade,” NattoPharma CEO Kjetil Ramsoy said. “Lesaffre is recognized as a worldwide key player in the fermentation industry, leveraging innovation and industrial platforms to produce fermentation products; this, paired with NattoPharma’s expertise on the various forms of vitamin K2, makes us confident that we together will accelerate research and further explore K2 benefits as the true global leader in vitamin K2 with a full range of products meeting all customer needs.”
With the acquisition, NattoPharma joins the Lesaffre Group. The teams of both companies are now beginning to work together, defining the most suitable positioning and communications to benefit human health and wellbeing – all thanks to the power of microorganisms.
Gnosis by Lesaffre will share more details about the strategic growth of the vitamin K2 market over the coming months as the acquisition is finalized.
About Gnosis by Lesaffre
Gnosis by Lesaffre harnesses the power of microorganisms and biotransformation processes like fermentation to cultivate nutritional actives, probiotics, and nutritional and functional yeasts that benefit human health and wellbeing. The team draws on its focused research and applications capabilities to collaborate with nutraceutical and pharmaceutical brands to develop game-changing products for their customers.
About NattoPharma
Based in Norway, NattoPharma ASA is the world leader in vitamin K2 research and development, offering the only clinically validated K2 as MK-7 on the market: MenaQ7®. NattoPharma provides the most comprehensive K2 portfolio – both natural fermented and nature-identical synthesis in various dilutions and solubilities, as well as the industry’s first Full Spectrum K2, delivering MK-6, MK-7, and MK-9. The MenaQ7® Solution Platform offers solutions for brand owners to make vitamin K2 available in a broader range of finished product dose forms, opening opportunities to formulate with multiple active ingredients, guided by the experts of the NattoPharma R&D team.
About Lesaffre
A key global player in fermentation for more than a century, Lesaffre & Cie ("Lesaffre"), with a 2.2 billion euro turnover, and established on all continents, counts 10,700 employees and more than 85 nationalities. On the strength of this experience and diversity, we work with customers, partners and researchers to find ever more relevant answers to the needs of food, health, naturalness and respect for our environment. Thus, every day, we explore and reveal the infinite potential of microorganisms. To nourish 10 billion people, in a healthy way, in 2050 by making the most of our planet’s resources is a major and unprecedented issue. We believe that fermentation is one of the most promising answers to this challenge.
