About ZMC
and ZMC-Europe
Who we are…
Founded in 1979, Zhejiang Medicine Co., Ltd. (ZMC) employs more than 6´800 staff worldwide including 2´500 professional and technical personnel. The roots of today’s ZMC company trace back to 1954 with the founding of ZMC Xinchang Pharmaceuticals, marking the beginning of its vitamin production.
At present, ZMC performs the specialized and large-scale production of fat-soluble vitamins, carotenoids and a wide range of Active Pharmaceuticals Ingredients.
The offering consists of an extensive range of ingredients for various industries, including feed, food, and personal care. ZMC is a leading supplier of vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D3, biotin, beta-carotene, canthaxanthin, lutein, lycopene, fish oil, Q10, and natural vitamin E. These nutritional ingredients are supported by scientific evidence, regulatory compliance, and marketing resources.
In 2013, ZMC-Europe GmbH was established as a subsidiary majority-owned by Zhejiang Medicine Co., Ltd., located in Hamburg, Germany, acting as a strategic service center for the EMEA region.
The foundation of ZMC-Europe marked a significant step in ZMC’s global expansion, further strengthening its presence in the heart of Europe.
In 2018, ZMC-Europe achieved another milestone with the construction of a feed formulation plant including temperature-controlled warehouse for powders and liquids in the south of Hamburg.
This development enhanced ZMC-Europe’s ability to meet and exceed customer needs with greater flexibility.
With the port of Hamburg, often referred to as the “gateway to the world”, ZMC-Europe benefits from a highly capable logistic partner and its own service center nearby. This allows ZMC-Europe to offer faster and more flexible services to its EMEA customers, supported by a team of highly motivated and experienced professionals in sales, logistics, quality control, regulatory affairs, and animal nutrition.
Our expertise spans numerous applications across both animal and human nutrition, as well as personal care. We provide high-quality and high-efficiency, branded vitamins and carotenoids with clear advantages, alongside tailored business solutions to meet the specific needs of our customers.
Innovation is our DNA.
In 2017, ZMC achieved another milestone by launching a nature-like stabilized vitamin A 500, followed by the remaining vitamin A and D series, as well as carotenoids.
As a well-recognized and reliable partner to the global feed industry and a manufacturer of effective and safe feed additives, ZMC is continuously pursuing R&D to optimize products and processes. By applying best-in-class formulation and micro-encapsulation technologies, we ensure superior protection of oxidation-sensitive micro-ingredients such as vitamin A, AD3, D3 as well as our carotenoids canthaxanthin, lutein and beta-carotene.
For decades, synthetic agents like ethoxyquin, BHT, and BHA have been used as antioxidants protecting feed additives sensitive to oxidation. However, since 2015, the synthetic antioxidant ethoxyquin is no longer considered safe and compliant by EFSA, leading to its suspension by the EU Commission in 2017. BHT is still under ongoing safety evaluation. ZMC pioneered the use of nature-like compounds in 2005 by introducing canthaxanthin without ethoxyquin as an antioxidant.
In essence, ZMC is the world’s first vitamin manufacturer capable of serving the feed industry with oxidation-sensitive ingredients stabilized using only nature-like antioxidants.
Effectiveness is our promise.
ZMC, recognized as a pioneer and global leader in the production of vitamins and carotenoids, is continuously striving to advance its manufacturing processes to the next level.
As an example of this ongoing research and development, ZMC-Europe is able to offer the feed industry a vitamin E oil with one of the highest levels of purity and safety.
Another notable example is ZMC-Europe’s branded canthaxanthin (Caroforte® Red 10%). Thanks to a unique micro-encapsulation technology resulting in a superior protection and significantly smaller average particle size compared to competing products, it achieves more efficient absorption in the animal’s intestinal tract, ultimately resulting in more effective deposition rate in the targeted tissues.
Safety is our duty.
ZMC-Europe ensures the highest levels of quality and safety for its branded vitamin and carotenoid series across the entire supply chain, offering their customers better prospects through an innovative product range that enhances food chain safety.
Feed additives are an integral component of the feed-food chain – they ensure a high level of quality and safety in the production of milk, eggs and meat. For ZMC, pursuing innovation in both, processes and products is a firm commitment to achieving the highest levels of purity and safety in vitamins and carotenoids.
ZMC has implemented and maintains a feed safety and quality management system that complies with the stringent standards of the European feed, food and personal care industries, including both FAMI-QS and ISO 22000 certifications while ZMC-Europe is GMP+ certified.
ZMC maintains safety and quality management systems that comply with the stringent standards of the European feed and food legislation, including both FAMI-QS and FSSC 22000 certifications while ZMC-Europe is GMP+ certified.
Purity is our commitment.
Purity is a crucial factor in ensuring the saftey of the product.
A high level of purity means that micro-ingredients are present in the chemically most active form, leading to better absorption in the animal’s body and increased biological effectiveness. In contrast, lower purity may be a result of undesired impurities or less active substances diminishing the vitamin’s overall efficacy.