DSM South Africa History

Part of the Roche Pharmaceutical Group of companies, Roche Products opened their offices in South Africa on 3 February 1948.

As Roche Products, based in Isando, the Vitamin and Fine Chemical Division began to market and sell Roche produced vitamins and fine chemicals to the pharmaceutical, food and animal feed industries in South Africa.

On 1 July 2001 Roche Products became Roche Vitamins South Africa ( Pty ) Ltd  a new company and legal entity. Shortly thereafter Roche Vitamins South Africa became responsible for the sub-Saharan Africa region, servicing approximately 35 markets.

On 1 October 2003 Roche Vitamins Ltd was sold globally and became a new business group of Koninklijke DSM N.V.

Under the new name of DSM Nutritional Products, the integration and transformation process began, with DSM Nutritional Products South Africa ( Pty ) Ltd being registered on 1 October 2003.

DSM Nutritional Products has over 60 years experience in the synthesis of vitamins.

Starting in 1935 with the chemical synthesis of vitamin C, a process invented by Dr. Tadeusz Reichstein, of the Swiss Institute of Technology in Zurich, Roche gradually added other synthesized vitamins to its range. Today DSM sells the full palette of fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins.

In 1956, Roche began producing carotenoids with the first synthesis of beta-carotene, and over the years followed up with apocarotenal, apo-ester, canthaxanthin, astaxanthin, lycopene, zeaxanthin and lutein.

Apart from vitamins and carotenoids, Roche Vitamins moved into other products of significance to the food, pharmaceutical, feed or cosmetic industries, such as medicinal feed additives (1970), citric acid (1977), amino acids (1979), polyunsaturated fatty acids (1988), feed enzymes ( 1990), and cosmetic ingredients such as sunscreens and emulsifiers (1996).