What Hayashibara does

Hayashibara, formally renamed Nagase Viita Co., Ltd. (ナガセヴィータ株式会社) on April 1, 2024, is a Japanese biochemical and bio-based ingredients manufacturer headquartered in Okayama, Japan, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nagase Sangyo Co., Ltd. (長瀬産業). Founded in 1883, the company operates a fermentation- and enzymatic-conversion-based manufacturing platform that has produced functional saccharides for over 140 years, including the world's first commercial mass production of trehalose (トレハロース), launched in 1994 and now celebrating 30 years of continuous supply. Its product portfolio is organized into six horizontal business segments: food ingredients (preservation and sweetening), pharmaceutical ingredients (excipients and APIs), personal care ingredients, wellness products, research reagents, and industrial/agricultural/feed solutions.

The company's go-to-market is a global direct B2B model selling specialty biochemical ingredients to enterprise manufacturers, distributed in part through Nagase Group's established chemical and biochemical channels in Japan and internationally. Marketing and customer engagement are conducted via the corporate website, academic symposia (including the Trehalose Symposium), industry associations such as the Japan Wagashi Association, sustainability communications, and earned media placements including an NHK WORLD feature on trehalose-based cultural heritage preservation. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, consistent with a contract-based specialty ingredients model.

The business carries no external fundraising, no public listing, and no disclosed revenue or headcount figures. Its competitive position rests on proprietary fermentation know-how, pharmaceutical-grade quality standards, a 3-year consecutive EcoVadis Platinum sustainability rating (top 1% globally), and the distribution and capital backing of the parent Nagase Group. The company's strategic posture under the new Nagase Viita brand emphasizes ESG positioning, heritage storytelling around trehalose, and incremental expansion of its application footprint into adjacent areas such as cultural heritage conservation.

Name

Hayashibara

Legal name

株式会社林原

Website

https://hayashibara.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1883

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Hayashibara (now Nagase Viita) is a Japanese biochemical ingredients manufacturer, founded 1883, producing functional saccharides — notably the world's first mass-produced trehalose — via proprietary fermentation for food, pharmaceutical, personal care, wellness, research, and industrial B2B customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biochemical Ingredients

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Sugar Manufacturing (31131)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833), Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbial Fermentation Gums (Xanthan, Gellan, Pullulan, Dextran) (AFAJAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Probiotics & Digestive Health Supplements (CRADAGAF)

Keywords

• Biochemical ingredients
• Food ingredients
• Pharmaceutical excipients
• Fermentation manufacturing
• Personal care ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

Okayama

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hayashibara (now Nagase Viita Co., Ltd. following the April 1, 2024 name change) is a Japanese biochemical manufacturer that produces functional saccharides and bio-based ingredients using proprietary fermentation and enzymatic conversion technologies. The company manufactures and sells trehalose — the world's first mass-produced disaccharide of its kind — along with a portfolio of food ingredients, pharmaceutical excipients, personal care materials, wellness products, research reagents, and industrial/agricultural/feed solutions, serving manufacturers in Japan and globally.

Product overview

Nagase Viita (formerly Hayashibara, rebranded April 2024) is a biochemical ingredients company with a platform-plus-portfolio architecture. The core platform encompasses fermentation, enzymatic conversion, and purification technologies enabling production of functional saccharides and bio-based materials. The product portfolio is organized into six segments: Food Ingredients (including trehalose, the flagship product and world-first mass-produced disaccharide), Personal Care Ingredients, Pharmaceutical Ingredients, Wellness Products, Research Reagents, and Industrial/Agricultural/Feed solutions. The company also supports related sub-brands such as Lumin A and maintains research initiatives like the Transglycosylated Hesperidin & Vitamin B Society. Founded in 1883, the company leverages over 140 years of natural science expertise to serve global markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trehalose (トレハロース) A naturally occurring disaccharide with exceptional protein stabilization and moisture-retention properties, used in food preservation, pharmaceutical ingredients, cosmetics, and cultural heritage conservation applications.
• Food Ingredients (食品素材) Food ingredient solutions including trehalose and other functional saccharides for food preservation, sweetening, and quality enhancement in food manufacturing.
• Personal Care Ingredients (パーソナルケア素材) Bio-based ingredients for cosmetics and personal care products, supporting sustainability-focused beauty formulations.
• Pharmaceutical Ingredients (医薬品素材) High-purity biochemical materials for pharmaceutical manufacturing and drug formulation applications, meeting pharmaceutical-grade quality standards.
• Wellness Products (ウェルネス製品) Health and wellness-oriented biochemical products for dietary and nutritional applications.
• Research Reagents (研究用試薬) Biochemical reagents for scientific research, laboratory analysis, and experimental applications.
• Industrial, Agriculture, and Feed (工業・農業・飼料など) Bio-based solutions for industrial processes, agricultural applications, and animal feed formulations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 consecutive years of EcoVadis Platinum sustainability rating (top 1% of companies assessed)

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Nagase Co., Ltd. (長瀬産業株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company relationship as part of Nagase Group. Nagase Viita became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nagase Co., Ltd. following the corporate name change in April 2024. Operates under the NAGASE Group umbrella.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: World's largest privately-held food and agriculture company with a deep specialty ingredients portfolio spanning sweeteners, texturizers, and fermentation products — competes broadly with Nagase Viita across multiple ingredient categories.
• ADM: Global agricultural processor and ingredient manufacturer serving food, beverage, pharma, and personal care with sweeteners, flavors, and fermentation-derived ingredients — broad competitor across Nagase Viita's six-segment portfolio.
• International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF): Global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition ingredients with a substantial fermentation and biotechnology platform for food, beverage, and personal care — competes with Nagase Viita across personal care, food, and pharma ingredients.

Direct peers

• BENEO (Südzucker Group): Subsidiary of Südzucker producing sugar-replacement and functional carbohydrate ingredients (isomalt, inulin, rice derivatives) for food, feed, and pharma — directly competes with Nagase Viita in specialty saccharides and protein-stabilizing sugars.
• Roquette: French global leader in starch, polyols, and fermentation-derived specialty ingredients including competing saccharides and protein-stabilizing sugars. Most direct comparable to Nagase Viita's fermentation platform and specialty ingredient portfolio.
• Tate & Lyle: UK-listed specialty food ingredients company focused on sugar-based texturizers, sweeteners, and stabilizers for food and beverage applications — overlapping with Nagase Viita's food ingredients segment and trehalose-adjacent saccharide portfolio.
• Ingredion: US-listed ingredient specialist producing sweeteners, starches, and texturizers from corn and other plant sources for food, beverage, and pharma customers — overlapping with Nagase Viita's food and pharma ingredient offerings.

Regional players

• Meiji Holdings: Japanese food and pharmaceutical conglomerate producing functional ingredients, supplements, and pharma-grade materials — regional peer overlapping with Nagase Viita's wellness and pharmaceutical ingredients segments.
• San-Ei Gen F.F.I. Japanese specialty ingredient manufacturer focused on food colors, flavors, and functional ingredients for domestic and Asian food and beverage manufacturers — comparable Japan-based competitor serving overlapping food and wellness end-markets.
• Mitsubishi Corporation Life Sciences: Japanese life sciences and ingredient business within the Mitsubishi conglomerate, producing food additives, pharmaceutical intermediates, and biochemical ingredients — comparable Japanese-headquartered peer with similar multi-segment ingredients focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hayashibara-co-ltd-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Hayashibara