Gelco

What Gelco does

Gelco International, founded in 1966 and headquartered in Pedreira, Brazil, is a privately-held Latin American producer of gelatin and hydrolyzed collagen ingredients for industrial B2B markets. The company operates five manufacturing plants located in Brazil (Pedreira and Franca), Colombia (Barranquilla and Manizales), and Ecuador (Ambato, operated through wholly-owned subsidiary Prodegel S.A., acquired from Kraft Foods International in 2009), with combined production capacity of more than 23,000 tons per year. Products are sold into the pharmaceutical, food, nutraceutical/cosmetic, and industrial end-markets across more than 25 countries through a network of agents and distributors in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

The company's core technology is the partial and total hydrolysis of collagen extracted from bovine, chicken, pig, and fish skin, bones, and connective tissues, yielding two product families: pharmaceutical- and food-grade Gelatin and the GelcoPEP® hydrolyzed collagen peptide line, which comprises specialized variants differentiated by density (CHD, HDE) and dissolution performance (PLUS). Manufacturing is supported by plant-level laboratories for physical-chemical and microbiological quality control and by a real-time traceability software system that captures batch-level raw material, process, quality, and distribution data. Gelco holds FSSC 22000, Kosher, Halal, Clean Label, SMETA, and double EDQM CEP certifications, qualifying its products for demanding pharmaceutical and multinational food customers.

Gelco's revenue model is B2B ingredient supply under quote-based pricing to manufacturers, with the GelcoPEP®Beauty finished collagen supplement brand representing an early move into consumer-adjacent products for the Brazilian market. No revenue figures, ownership structure details, or management team information were disclosed in available sources, and the company appears to be controlled by its founding ownership group with no identified institutional investors.

Name

Gelco

Legal name

Gelco International

Website

https://gelcointernational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Gelco International is a privately-held Latin American manufacturer of gelatin and hydrolyzed collagen ingredients, operating five plants in Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador with over 23,000 tons of annual capacity, supplying pharmaceutical, food, nutraceutical, and industrial B2B customers in more than 25 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gelatin and Collagen Ingredients Manufacturing

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing (311613)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Gelatin & Collagen Hydrolysates (Animal-Based Gelling Agents) (AFAJABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Animal-Derived Protein Ingredients (Egg, Collagen/Gelatin, Blood/Plasma Proteins) (AFAJAHAB), Proteins & Functional Nutrition Ingredients (Plant/Animal Proteins, Collagen, Amino Acids) (CRADAOAJ), Gelatin & Animal-Derived Hydrocolloids (Gelatin, Collagen, Isinglass) (AFAJAMAG), Hydrocolloids, Thickeners & Gelling Agents (Pectin, Xanthan, Carrageenan, Gelatin) (CRADAOAD)

Keywords

• Gelatin manufacturing
• Hydrolyzed collagen peptides
• Pharmaceutical excipients
• Food grade ingredients
• Nutraceutical collagen

Headquarters

HQ city

Pedreira

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Gelatin Manufacturing and Sales: Manufacturing and marketing of high-quality gelatins for pharmaceutical, food and industrial markets. Revenue generated through direct B2B sales of gelatin products to manufacturers.
2. Collagen Peptide Sales: Production and sale of hydrolyzed collagen peptides (GelcoPEP®) for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Sold as ingredients for dietary supplements and functional food enrichment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gelco manufactures and sells gelatin and hydrolyzed collagen peptides derived from animal sources (bovine, chicken, pig, and fish) for use as functional ingredients in pharmaceutical, food, nutraceutical, cosmetic, and industrial applications. The company operates five manufacturing plants across Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia with a combined annual production capacity exceeding 23,000 tons, distributing through an agent and distributor network spanning more than 25 countries.

Product overview

Gelco offers a focused portfolio of gelatin and hydrolyzed collagen-based ingredient products for industrial B2B applications. The core product lines include pharmaceutical-grade Gelatin (derived from animal sources) and Hydrolyzed Collagen under the GelcoPEP® sub-brand. The GelcoPEP® line comprises three specialized collagen peptide variants differentiated by density and dissolution characteristics: GelcoPEP® CHD (high density for powdered/supplement formats), GelcoPEP® PLUS (instant dissolution for beverages), and GelcoPEP® HDE (high density for versatile applications). These products serve as functional ingredients for food, pharmaceutical, industrial, and nutraceutical/cosmetic industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GelcoPEP®: Hydrolyzed collagen product line including GelcoPEP® CHD, GelcoPEP® PLUS, and GelcoPEP® HDE variants for food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries.
• Prodegel S.A.

Products and services

• Gelatin
• Hydrolyzed Collagen (GelcoPEP®)
• GelcoPEP® CHD (High Density)
• GelcoPEP® PLUS (Instant Dissolution)
• GelcoPEP® HDE
• GelcoPEP®Beauty

Quantifiable outcome

• Clean Label certified gelatin free of additives and type E substances
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SedexminorOthersGelco is a member of the Sedex community network, the world's largest collaborative platform on responsible sourcing. Membership supports supply chain transparency and ethical sourcing practices.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Italgelatine: Italian manufacturer of gelatin and hydrolyzed collagen for pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic applications. Comparable scale and product mix, with similar focus on quality certifications for pharma-grade output.
• PB Leiner (Tessenderlo Group): Producer of high-quality gelatins under the SOLUGEL and PB Leiner brands, now part of Tessenderlo Group. Directly comparable in pharmaceutical and food-grade gelatin manufacturing with global distribution.
• Nitta Gelatin: Japanese manufacturer of gelatin and collagen peptides for food, pharma, and nutraceutical applications. Comparable product mix (gelatin + hydrolyzed collagen) with strong presence in Asian markets Gelco also serves.
• Rousselot: Global market leader in gelatin and collagen peptides, owned by Darling Ingredients. Directly comparable product portfolio (gelatin and hydrolyzed collagen) serving pharmaceutical, food, and nutraceutical customers across all major geographies.
• Weishardt Group: French producer of gelatin and collagen peptides for food, nutrition, and pharmaceutical markets. Closely comparable in product portfolio and EU regulatory positioning, including EDQM-grade gelatin.
• Sterling Gelatin: Indian producer of gelatin and collagen peptides serving food, pharma, and nutraceutical markets globally. Comparable B2B ingredient model with competing geographic reach into Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
• GELITA: Germany-based global leader in gelatin and collagen peptides for food, pharma, and nutrition. Closest direct peer to Gelco with overlapping product formats (gelatin + collagen peptide SKUs), certifications, and B2B customer mix.

Emerging players

• Holista CollTech: Malaysia-based producer of hydrolyzed collagen peptides and finished collagen supplements. Less scale than Gelco but competes in the same collagen peptide SKU space, particularly in functional food and beauty-from-within segments.

Broad incumbents

• Tessenderlo Group: Belgian specialty chemicals group owning PB Leiner's gelatin business. Provides a broad-incumbent benchmark for how diversified ingredient platforms monetize gelatin and compete with focused players like Gelco.
• Darling Ingredients: US-listed parent of Rousselot and a global rendering and ingredient platform. Relevant incumbent comparator because it sets the cost and pricing benchmark for the animal-derived gelatin supply chain in which Gelco operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/gelcointernational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gelcointernational
• Instagraminstagram.com/gelcointernational_

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Gelco