Gelco
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersPedreira, Brazil
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
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.
Gelco firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Gelco industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Gelco is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pedreira
- HQ country
- Brazil
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Gelco business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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
Gelco product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Gelco
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Gelco technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Gelco partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- SedexminorGelco 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
Gelco competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
Gelco social profiles
Digital presenceGelco compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
Gelco financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gelco leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Gelco subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Gelco funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gelco M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gelco
What does Gelco do?
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.
Is Gelco a public or private company?
Gelco is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Gelco founded?
Gelco was founded in 1978. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Gelco based?
Gelco is headquartered in Pedreira, Brazil, in the Latin America region.
How does Gelco make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Gelatin Manufacturing and Sales are the primary driver. The others are collagen Peptide Sales.
Who are Gelco's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Italgelatine, PB Leiner (Tessenderlo Group), Nitta Gelatin, Rousselot, Weishardt Group, Sterling Gelatin and GELITA. Holista CollTech is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Tessenderlo Group and Darling Ingredients.
Does Gelco have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gelco.
What industry is Gelco in?
Gelco's product category is Gelatin and Collagen Ingredients Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAJABAD, Gelatin & Collagen Hydrolysates (Animal-Based Gelling Agents), with a secondary code of AFAJAHAB, Animal-Derived Protein Ingredients (Egg, Collagen/Gelatin, Blood/Plasma Proteins). Its NAICS code is 311 and its SIC code is 2000.