About Us

Improving food & Health

We are a global supplier of bioscience based ingredients to the food, health and animal feed industries, with leading positions in the markets in which we operate. We produce cultures and dairy enzymes, probiotics and natural colors. Our market positions are built on our product innovation and applications, production processes, long-term customer relationships and intellectual property.

Our core compentences

Our knowledge of bioscience and its applications within cultures and enzymes is our core competency and serves as the technical foundation for our products.  This knowledge platform has enabled us to develop innovative products and applications and efficient solutions to address customer needs. We operate through the following three divisions, which operate globally and maintain synergies through the use of our common technology and sales platform:

Cultures & Enzymes Division

  • We develop and produce cultures, enzymes and probiotics for the dairy industry in particular
  • … and for the food industry in general – e.g. for wine and meat
  • Our ingredients determine taste, appearance, nutritional value and health benefits
  • We are the global market leader in dairy ingredients
  • Actually… every other cheese in the world contains our enzymes

Health & Nutrition Division

  • We develop and produce products for dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals, infant formula and animal feed
  • Our key offering is probiotic cultures with documented effect
    • For humans
    • For animals
  • We believe in strong research and documentation through clinical study program trials

Natural Colors Division

  • We develop and produce natural colors for the food industry
    • We focus on natural colors in:
    • Beverages
    • Confectionery
    • Ice cream
    • Dairy and fruit preparations
  • Our colors originate from natural sources like berries, roots and seeds
  • We are global frontrunners in encapsulation and stabilization techniques

Unknown but everywhere

Chr. Hansen is a very special kind of company. Virtually unknown outside our specialised field, several hundred million people around the world enjoy our products every day in the foods they eat.

There’s a good chance that you had a bite of Chr. Hansen this morning. Perhaps you enjoyed deliciously creamy yoghurt, mouth-watering Italian style salami or a cheese with a distinct bite?

Ingredients with character
Our natural ingredients are vital constituents of our customers' products - ingredients such as the coagulants and cultures that give cheeses their individual character. The range today is much broader than the dairy ingredients on which our business was founded more than 130 years ago.

Ownership

Since July 2005, PAI partners has been the majority shareholder. As of June 3, 2010 Chr. Hansen is listed on the Nasdaq OMX Copenhagen.

Shareholder: Financiére Star 1, S.A.*
Number of shares owned: 51,663,763   
Ownership interest and voting: 37,4 %


*Financiére Star 1, S.A. is 100% owned by funds managed and advised by PAI partners and certain of our senior management through Management Co.

Control reports

Several Chr. Hansen units have been awarded with the elite-smiley from the Danish food inspection authorities. Click to see reports (in Danish).