Korott was founded in 1991. How has the company changed since then?
Pablo García: Korott was founded by two pharmacists and a doctor, with five employees on a premises of 100m2. The company originally focused on the study and application of medicinal plants, a discipline known as phytotherapy. These days, the company develops pharmaceutical, nutritional and cosmetics products and has more than 18,100m2 of working space with 145 employees. We specialise in galenic formulation, manufacturing items such as hard capsules, powders (sticks, envelopes, stand-up-packs and cans) and liquids (ampoules, bottles, vials or shots). Our commitment to creating high-quality products has been consistent throughout our 28 years of service, fuelling our continuous growth as a company.
How has recent investment in your company enhanced your production capacity?
Investing more than €4 million in our food supplements centre has increased our production capacity significantly. Our offices and logistics warehouses are connected through cutting-edge technology that allows us to better trace the ingredients used in our production processes, and we can now undertake most of the analysis that products require internally. Our working relationship with experts in microbiota and immunoregulation has led to a new collaborative project, whereby products are developed by carrying out clinical trials with probiotics and other added value ingredients. We have also participated in clinical studies in atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and other therapeutic areas with positive results.
Korott has made its commitment to customer support clear, working with a range of clients to support their needs. Is there a specific client that you have worked with for a long period of time?
We have enjoyed a fruitful collaboration with Mercadona, the largest chain of supermarkets in Spain, since 1999. For Deliplus, one of Mercadona’s top suppliers, we have developed a range of products, including food supplements, natural medicines, cosmetics, nutricosmetics, cotton derivatives and repellents.
Customer support is immensely important to Korott as a company, whether we are working for larger retailers or working for pharmaceutical companies with added-value products or brand management.
The needs of retailers and pharmaceutical companies continually change, so a different kind of assistance is often required when it comes to the product development process. One of our biggest assets is that we have a team capable of dealing with a wide variety of demands.
As a company, you pride yourselves on producing high-quality products. What procedures are in place to ensure that you maintain those standards?
We follow the GMP standard in all the production units and this year we have obtained the IFS certification with 96% punctuation. Our recent investment in technology systems allows us to communicate and register all of the processes and the participants involved in making our products. This has facilitated a detailed understanding of our working processes, which can be improved through continual analysis. We operate rigorous quality assurance systems to avoid any cross-contamination in all our production lines. Consequently, we are able to produce products that are gluten-free, lactose-free and suitable for vegetarians.
How will the global supplements market develop in the future?
We expect to grow as we increase our business relationships with customers internationally. Today, the market is more fragmented, but there are growing opportunities with different target groups. An ageing population, lifestyle changes in younger people and an increasingly nutraceutical approach to medicine are areas that could potentially birth new market opportunities.
