Gelita
Gelita AG is a manufacturer of gelatin and collagen peptides for the food, health and nutrition, pharmaceutical industries and for several technical applications. It is headquartered in Eberbach, Germany. Founded in 1875, Gelita operates 21 production sites and 4 offices in North America, South America, Europe, South Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The plant in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, is the largest gelatin factory in the world. History. The history of today's Gelita AG in Eberbach dates back to 1875, when the production of gelatin was started in Schweinfurt. Gelita was preceded by the founding of the "Gebrüder  Köpff Company", Heinrich Koepff's small tannery, in 1883. Shaken by the economic crisis of the time, Heinrich saw a way out of his misery in gelatin production. The raw material for this could be purchased cheaply, as it was produced in the large tanneries as residual material. With around 60 employees, the factory was already producing photographic gelatin in 1884, which was an important material for the rapidly emerging photography in the 19th century. In 1887 the Koepff brothers acquired the competing company A. & C. Wolff in Heilbronn. Both locations had 320 employees who produced 400 tonnes of gelatin  per year. In 1901 a major fire destroyed large parts of the factory. The brothers quarreled over reconstruction. Heinrich went to Heilbronn and Paul Koepff continued to run the rebuilt plant alone under the name Göppinger Gelatin Factory Paul Koepff. In 1911 he sold the factory to DGF AG, which already operated gelatin factories in Schweinfurt and Höchst. Paul Koepff was henceforth on the board of directors and continued to manage his former company as director. In 1929 Paul Koepff jr. took over the management of the Göppingen plant from his father, who died in 1953. The Gelita Brand was  introduced in 1934. After the World War II, Paul Koepff Jr. became managing director of the Stoess company in Eberbach. In 1949 he built up a gelatin capsule factory there. In the course of the decades, DGF AG bought various factories worldwide. In 1965 it was taken over by the "Chem. Werke Stoess" in Heidelberg. In that year Heinrich Koepff took over the majority of shares of the Göppingen plant and through his marriage to the granddaughter of the company founder, Gerda Stoess, the companies merged. In 1972, the association traded under the name DGF Stoess & Co. GmbH. In 1989 , the company was converted into a public limited company. The gelatin production division was renamed the Gelita Group in 1999. In 2005 all entities started to sell gelatine under the brand name Gelita. Products. Gelatin. In 2021, Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, flavorless food ingredient, commonly derived from collagen taken from animal body parts. Gelita ranked second in the gelatin category of FoodTalks' Global Food Thickener Companies List. Collagen peptides. For oral supplementation in sectors like healthy aging, sports nutrition and beauty. Applications are for example food, drinks, cereals, bars and dietary supplements. Fats, minerals and proteins. Are produced when  collagen proteins are manufactured. The main areas of application for Fat, Mineral and Protein Ingredients are human food, pet food and animal feed. The fats, for example, serve as energy sources. Proteins can improve the texture and hence the enjoyability and digestibility of foodstuffs and animal feed. Further applications are in technical areas and are used in the manufacture of bone china, construction molds, lubricants for machines and anti-rust agents. Hemostats. Hemostasis blood-staunching sponges for medical applications. They are used for injuries of the blood vessels to stop the bleeding for example during operations. Hemostats can be broken  down by the body. For this reason, they remain in the body and the wound can stay closed. Applications. The products based on collagen proteins are used for food, health and nutrition, pharmaceutical industries and technical applications for example Photo, Ballistic, Restoration, Lubricants, Technical detergents. Organisation. Gelita AG is structured as a holding company. The group is controlled from the headquarter in Eberbach (Germany).