Revamped Naturalendo Tech set to make another takeoff

Visitors and representatives talk about “Menoelle” at Expopharm 2022, Europe's leading trade fair for the pharmacy market, held in Munich, Germany, last month. /Courtesy of Naturalendo Tech

Emerging as global health functional food enterprise

By Sah Dong-seok

Naturalendo Tech, which greeted Suheung, the world-renowned hard capsule manufacturer, and Yuhan, the most respected company in Korea, as its new owners in 2021, is flexing its muscle under the motto of “Come Back, Queen!” on the back of increased sales of its health functional food around the world, based on Suheung's global network.

The company launched “Menoelle,” a health functional food for women primarily sourced from “EstroG-100,” in Europe in 2019. Since then, “Menoelle” has been in great demand, ranking first in sales consecutively among the health functional foods for women sold in dm, Europe's largest drugstore channel.

Based on its successful sales, the product entered Rossmann, Europe's second-largest drugstore channel, this summer. Sales of “Menolle” are also active in Germany's supermarket chains like Muller, Globus and BUNDI. Germany's top three drugstores dm, Rossman and Muller are taking the lead in Europe's drugstore market, ranking among the global top 10 drugstores.

Riding on the consumer market trends of “health, food and hygiene” in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Naturalendo Tech ran TV commercials about “Menoelle” through RTL TV, Europe's largest private TV broadcaster, once in 2020 and again in 2022. The company is also doing everything to expand sales in European markets by increasing the exposure frequency of “Menoelle” through active marketing and sales there.

EstroG-100, the main ingredient of “Menoelle,” was registered in the New Dietary Ingredients (NDI) list of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and obtained the Natural Product Number (NPN) license of Canada's health ministry.

In the United States, the world's largest health functional food market, Naturalendo Tech has teamed up with iHerb, the world's largest e-commerce retailer dedicated to vitamins, minerals and supplements boasting annual sales of 3 trillion won ($2.1 billion), to launch products. The company is also getting ready to accelerate its forays into the American market, having business negotiations actively with large customers.

Naturalendo Tech has been exporting EstroG-100 to the Middle East since 2017 through Behestan Pharmed, Iran's biggest pharmaceutical company. In early 2021, it completed its first order to Minapharm Pharmaceuticals, Egypt's leading pharmaceutical company, in its efforts to maintain sustainable business growth in the Middle East.

The company has been shipping its products to Southeast Asia, the emerging new market of health functional foods, through the largest multi-level marketing company in the Philippines. And Naturalendo Tech is tailoring its business strategies to local needs in Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and India.

“Penetrating into foreign markets is not a new issue any longer, but we are trying our best to meet the needs of local customers by finding solutions through the research and development of new natural ingredients,” said Joshua B.S., Park, head of the company's international sales and marketing. “We will make another takeoff as a global enterprise by expanding business opportunities and developing new growth engines through differentiated overseas entry strategies.”

In 2021, Suheung joined forces with Yuhan, which ranks at first place in the domestic pharmaceutical industry, and Yuhan Care to secure combined 35 percent of Naturalendo Tech's shares. The three companies have since been taking part in the management of the company. Under a business agreement with Suheung, Yuhan and Yuhan Care, Naturalendo Tech is creating a synergy effect in expanding its health functional food business for menopausal women.