What PB Leiner does

PB Leiner is a global B2B manufacturer of gelatin and collagen peptide ingredients headquartered in Vilvoorde, Belgium, operating as a division of Tessenderlo Group NV (Euronext: TESB). The company produces bovine, porcine, and fish-sourced gelatin and bioactive collagen peptides via controlled enzymatic hydrolysis, and operates manufacturing facilities across four continents (Belgium, Germany, USA, Argentina, Brazil, China). Its product portfolio is organized under four brands: SOLUGEL® collagen peptides for health, nutrition, and beauty-from-within applications; gelwoRx™ pharmaceutical-grade gelatin for capsules, medical devices, and biomedical uses; TEXTURA™ food gelatin for confectionery, dairy, bakery, and culinary applications; and Claro™ bio-inks for 3D tissue engineering. The company also produces functional lipids, proteins, and dicalcium phosphate for animal nutrition, pet food, and fertilizers.

The business model is direct enterprise B2B ingredient supply, with quote-based pricing on bulk commercial quantities sold to food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and technical application manufacturers. Go-to-market combines dedicated regional sales teams (EMEA, North America, South America, Asia, Oceania), active technical and application support, co-innovation with customers, and consistent presence at industry trade events (Vitafoods, SupplySide, Food Ingredients Europe, FCE Pharma). Differentiation rests on 150 years of gelatin heritage, ownership of cold-soluble gelatin technology, multi-source raw material capability, regulatory compliance (EP/JP/USP pharmacopoeia standards, Kosher, Halal, GRAS), and a clinical evidence portfolio including Florida State University studies on joint health and healthy aging.

PB Leiner serves three primary end markets — Health & Nutrition, Pharma & Bioscience, and Food Solutions — alongside secondary segments in pet food/feed/fertilizers, technical applications, and bioprinting. The customer base comprises manufacturers integrating gelatin and collagen ingredients into formulations (no public logos available). Strategic posture in recent years has emphasized geographic and product expansion through joint ventures: a marine collagen joint venture with Hainan Xiangtai Group (China, 2023) and a Brazilian joint venture (2023), alongside product launches across the gelwoRx, SOLUGEL, and TEXTURA ranges. A 2026 market intelligence report indicates Darling Ingredients is acquiring over 50% control of the business, which would represent a significant ownership change to be confirmed.

Name

PB Leiner

Legal name

Tessenderlo Group NV

Website

https://pbleiner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gelatin and Collagen Ingredients

NAICS

Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing (311613)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

Gelatin & Animal-Derived Hydrocolloids (Gelatin, Collagen, Isinglass) (AFAJAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gelatin & Collagen Hydrolysates (Animal-Based Gelling Agents) (AFAJABAD), Animal-Derived Protein Ingredients (Egg, Collagen/Gelatin, Blood/Plasma Proteins) (AFAJAHAB), Protein Hydrolysates & Peptides (Enzymatic Hydrolysates, Bioactive Peptides) (AFAJAHAI)

Keywords

• Gelatin manufacturing
• Collagen peptides
• Pharmaceutical gelatin
• Food texturizing solutions
• Bioprinting bio-inks

Headquarters

HQ city

Vilvoorde

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. B2B Ingredient Sales: PB Leiner operates as a B2B ingredient manufacturer and supplier, selling gelatin and collagen peptide ingredients to food, pharmaceutical, health nutrition, and technical application manufacturers worldwide. Products are sold in bulk quantities to enterprise customers who incorporate them into their formulations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PB Leiner is a global B2B manufacturer of high-quality gelatin and collagen peptide ingredients, supplying food, pharmaceutical, health and nutrition, pet food, technical, and biomedical customers worldwide. The portfolio spans bioactive collagen peptides (SOLUGEL), pharmaceutical-grade gelatin (gelwoRx), food texturizing gelatin (TEXTURA), 3D bioprinting bio-inks (Claro), and functional lipids, proteins, and minerals derived from its gelatin production chain.

Product overview

PB Leiner is a global manufacturer of gelatin and collagen solutions serving food, pharmaceutical, health & nutrition, and technical application markets. The company operates under Tessenderlo Group and offers a multi-product portfolio organized into distinct brand lines: SOLUGEL® collagen peptides for health & nutrition applications (joint health, skin beauty, muscle recovery); gelwoRx™ pharmaceutical gelatin for oral dosage forms and medical devices; TEXTURA™ food-grade gelatin for texturizing applications; and Claro™ bio-inks for 3D bioprinting. Additionally, the company produces functional ingredients including dicalcium phosphate, proteins, and lipids for animal nutrition, pet food, fertilizers, and industrial applications. Production facilities span four continents with global technical and sales support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SOLUGEL®: Collagen peptides brand offering bioactive peptides for health and nutrition applications including joint health, skin beauty, and sports nutrition.
• gelwoRx™
• TEXTURA™
• Claro™

Products and services

• SOLUGEL Collagen Peptides

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of middle-aged adults globally are concerned about joint health, and 2 out of 3 experience moderate to severe joint pain
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hainan Xiangtai GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023Joint venture established in March 2023 with Hainan Xiangtai Group to produce and commercialize premium fish collagen peptides in China. The joint venture leverages PB Leiner's technology and Hainan Xiangtai's local expertise and sourcing capabilities. Production commenced in Q4 2022 with production facility inaugurated in March 2023 on Hainan Island, China.
• Tessenderlo GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023PB Leiner is a division of Tessenderlo Group (Euronext: TESB), a global industrial group focused on agriculture, bio-residual valorization, machinery, mechanical engineering, electronics, energy, and water management solutions. Tessenderlo Group provides corporate governance, strategic direction, and shared services including legal, finance, and sustainability programs.
• Regemat 3DminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegemat 3D, a biotech company pioneer in design and development of customized 3D bioprinters and bioreactors for regenerative medicine research, distributes Claro's BG800 bio-ink developed for extrusion-based bioprinters.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GELITA: GELITA is one of the world's leading manufacturers of gelatin and collagen peptides, with a global production footprint. It directly competes with PB Leiner across food gelatin, pharma gelatin, and bioactive collagen peptides for nutraceutical applications.
• Rousselot: Rousselot, owned by Darling Ingredients, is the largest global gelatin producer with a strong collagen peptide portfolio (Peptan). It is PB Leiner's primary direct competitor and is set to become a sister brand under the same parent following Darling's majority acquisition of PB Leiner.
• Nitta Gelatin: Nitta Gelatin is a Japanese manufacturer of gelatin, collagen peptides, and related bioproducts with operations across Asia and North America. It competes head-to-head with PB Leiner in pharma-grade gelatin and Asian collagen peptide markets.
• Weishardt (Weishärdt Group): Weishardt is a European manufacturer of gelatin and collagen peptides serving food, nutraceutical, and cosmetics markets. Comparable to PB Leiner's mid-sized specialty gelatin and collagen peptide operations with emphasis on European customers.
• Italgelatine: Italgelatine is an Italian producer of gelatin and collagen hydrolysates for food, pharma, and nutrition applications. Directly comparable to PB Leiner's food gelatin (TEXTURA) and lower-tier collagen peptide lines serving European and global B2B customers.
• Bioiberica: Bioiberica is a Spanish life sciences company producing collagen peptides, heparin, and other bioactive ingredients for human and animal health. Directly comparable to PB Leiner's SOLUGEL collagen peptide business serving nutraceutical and joint health end markets.

Emerging players

• Jellatech: Jellatech is a cell-based biotechnology company producing animal-free gelatin via precision fermentation. While not yet at PB Leiner's scale, it represents an emerging alternative to animal-derived gelatin in food, pharma, and cosmetics, with potential long-term competitive overlap.
• Modern Meadow: Modern Meadow is a biotech company developing fermentation-derived collagen and other protein materials for beauty and apparel. As an emerging bioalternative to animal collagen, it represents a long-term competitive adjacency to PB Leiner's collagen peptide business.

Broad incumbents

• Darling Ingredients: Darling Ingredients is a global rendering and specialty ingredients leader, owner of Rousselot and now majority acquirer of PB Leiner. Operates broadly in collagen, gelatin, and animal-derived ingredients across food, pet food, and bioenergy end markets, making it both a parent and broad incumbent peer.
• Cargill: Cargill is a global agribusiness and food ingredient major with a protein and hydrocolloid portfolio that overlaps with PB Leiner's food gelatin and collagen peptide offerings. Operates at much larger scale and broader scope, including competing animal nutrition offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PB_Leiner
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKLCGZtjkiT2TmCVL58rQZA
• Facebookfacebook.com/pbleinercom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pb-leiner

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PB Leiner