Home » Biosafe has a genuine desire to help customers

Biosafe has a genuine desire to help customers

11.11.2024

Biosafe helps food companies get their products to market. The company’s customers include producers of novel foods, feed additives and food enzymes, who need market authorisation for their products.

Biosafe is a globally unique company in terms of its service portfolio, combining laboratory testing, consulting and preparing authorisation applications. Founded 10 years ago, the company is based on the observations made by two professors from Kuopio, Atte von Wright and Sirpa Kärenlampi, at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), where they carried out scientific risk assessment for food chain products. The two realized that, as regulations evolved, there were no laboratories that could carry out tests as required by the authorities.

“The products we help reach the market include additives, enzymes, amino acids and vitamins, which are widely used in foods. There are also new types of foods, called novel foods, which require market authorisation and assessment before they can enter the market,” says Managing Director of Biosafe Pauliina Halimaa.

Biosafe has grown to become a major player in its industry. It has virtually no competitors who provide not only laboratory testing but also consulting services. Biosafe helps its customers determine which category a product belongs to, what legislation applies to it and what studies need to be done on the product before it can be introduced to the market.

“These products are used in food to replace animal protein, for example, or to improve the flavour or texture of the food. The authorisation processes for the products are long and complex. It can take up to five years to get a product to market,” says Halimaa.

Unique combination

Biosafe has been operating in the global market since its inception. It has very few customers in Finland. In the beginning, customers were found through recommendations and the personal contacts of von Wright and Kärenlampi. Now, the company also invests in sales and works in cooperation with other consultants, as they typically do not have their own laboratories.

Biosafe’s success stems from a genuine desire to help customers and do things well. Customers are not sent automatic printouts of reports, but are written full test reports from start to finish, which can be sent directly to the authorities. The reports provide clear conclusions and results concerning the safety of the food ingredients.

“Our approach is quite straightforward, because our product is a service. It combines laboratory testing with consulting. In addition, we understand the customer’s product thoroughly and can relate it to the legislation. This is a unique combination,” says Halimaa.

No other company in the industry offers such an end-to-end service. This brings a lot of customers to Biosafe. Customers appreciate the fact that they do not need to have their tests done in a number of different places and that they can also get consulting services from the same company.

Million-milestone champagne

Hitting the first million in revenue was one of the high points of Biosafe’s journey. Since then, it has become a custom to pop a million-milestone champagne bottle every time revenue crosses another million milestone. That kind of money is worth celebrating. The global conquest of Biosafe continues as the company has launched cooperation with an American consulting firm to gain a stronger foothold in the US market.

“In addition, we are directing our active customer acquisition efforts towards Asia,” says Halimaa.

Challenges along the way have mainly been caused by the changing requirements of the authorities, sometimes at very short notice. Biosafe strives to stay as up-to-date as possible with changes in order to react fast and avoid delays for customers.

Halimaa points out that companies striving for success should not be too modest. They should showcase and believe in their expertise. She also suggests adopting a people-driven approach. After all, it is people who ultimately make the decisions, also for the customer.

“What matters the most is how you engage with customers,” says Halimaa.

Biosafe’s webpage

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Talent from local schools

Managing Director of Biosafe Pauliina Halimaa is pleased that the company has managed to attract plenty of talent from the University of Eastern Finland, Savonia University of Applied Sciences and Savo Vocational College. This has facilitated the growth of Biosafe.

“This work requires skilled professionals, whom we also train on the job. The work we do in the lab is something that hardly anyone else in the world does, so we need talented individuals,” says Halimaa.

Many of the employees at Biosafe have come to the company as interns from various educational institutions and stayed on after their internships. In addition to skills, they are expected to have a customer service mindset.

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Text: Minna Akiola
Photos: Biosafe