BioAsia Group

What BioAsia Group does

BioAsia Group (泛亚生物医药股份有限公司) is a privately held Chinese synthetic biology company that specializes in the research, artificial cultivation, and commercialization of entomogenous fungi — particularly cordyceps species. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Pinghu, Zhejiang, the company operates four R&D and production bases across Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Eskilstuna, Sweden (acquired via Plantamed AB in 2018). Its core technology platform uses cordyceps fungi as a biological chassis with solid-state fermentation, supported by one of China's most comprehensive cordyceps fungal strain resource libraries and 57+ IP patents, including a core patent (ZL201110120603.1) that won the 20th China Patent Gold Award in 2018.

The company monetizes through four core business lines: (1) food and health food products including cordyceps raw materials, dual cordyceps probiotic drinks, and cordyceps wine; (2) co-branded products with pharmaceutical partners such as Pien Tze Huang (片仔癇); (3) bio-agriculture products including cordyceps-fed livestock (sheep, chickens, eggs); and (4) industrial tourism and science education through the national AAA-rated Cordyceps Museum and Microbial Science Museum. The 2021 New Food Ingredient approval and Plant Variety Protection (15-20 years) on its cordyceps cicadae strain opened the addressable Chinese functional food market and created a significant regulatory moat. BioAsia also operates a synthetic biology platform that extends into bio-manufacturing for PHA biodegradable materials, indicating an emerging biomaterials vertical.

The company's go-to-market combines B2B enterprise sales through pharmaceutical partnerships, direct-to-consumer sales via museum retail channels, and academic-led marketing through its 100+ peer-reviewed publications and content marketing on Zhihu/WeChat. Its GTM leverages the credibility of 50+ scientists including CAE academician Zhou Honghao and international mycologists, supported by 20+ research partnerships with institutions like the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Uppsala University, Cornell University, and the University of Tokyo. Headcount appears lean (~10 employees listed, but 50+ scientists across the R&D team and multiple operating subsidiaries), and the company has no disclosed revenue, external investors, or public listing.

Name

BioAsia Group

Legal name

泛亚生物医药股份有限公司

Website

https://bioasia.com.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Functional Foods and Health Products

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Synthetic Biology & Genetic Circuit Design Platforms (pathway engineering, chassis development) (HLAAAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cultures, Probiotics & Fermentation Ingredients (Starter Cultures, Yeast, Adjuncts) (CRADAOAI)

Keywords

• Synthetic biology products
• Functional food ingredients
• Cordyceps health products
• Microbial fermentation technology
• Bio-manufacturing solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Pinghu, Zhejiang

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food and Health Food Products: The company manufactures and sells food and health food products derived from cordyceps fungi including cordyceps cicadae raw materials, cordyceps militaris products, dual cordyceps probiotic drinks, cordyceps wine, and other functional food products. Revenue is generated through direct product sales to consumers and B2B partnerships.
2. Partner-branded Products: Co-branded product lines with partners such as Pien Tze Huang, including cordyceps powder, cordyceps tea, cordyceps wine, and plant-based beverages, generating revenue through product sales under partnership arrangements.
3. Bio-agriculture Products: Revenue from biological agriculture segment including cordyceps farm sheep, chickens, and eggs raised using proprietary cordyceps feed, creating a full-chain green industry system from farm to table.
4. Industrial Tourism and Museum Services: The company operates the Cordyceps Museum and Microbial Science Museum as both educational facilities and revenue-generating tourist attractions, offering visitor experiences, cultural products, and science education services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

BioAsia Group (泛亚生物医药股份有限公司) is a synthetic biology company that uses microorganisms, particularly entomogenous fungi (cordyceps), as a biological chassis to manufacture and sell cordyceps-based functional food ingredients, health products (cordyceps cicadae raw materials, cordyceps militaris products, dual cordyceps probiotic drinks, cordyceps wine), and bio-agriculture products (cordyceps-fed livestock and eggs). The company operates Cordyceps Museum and Microbial Science Museum as both science education venues and retail outlets, and conducts full-chain research from strain resources to industrial transformation across four R&D and production bases in China and Sweden.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 骉牌蝉花虫草酒: 五粮浓香基酒，经固液双向发酵+静置发酵的蝉花虫草酒产品。
• 片仔癀虫草系列
• Cikaria

Products and services

• Cordyceps Cicadae Raw Materials and Products Artificially cultivated Cordyceps cicadae raw materials and finished products developed from BioAsia's proprietary Paecilomyces cicadae strain (China Patent Gold Award). Used as functional food ingredients and health products for immune regulation, kidney protection, anti-fatigue, blood sugar regulation, anti-hyperuricemia, and anti-tumor benefits.
• Cordyceps Militaris Products Cordyceps militaris products derived from BioAsia's entomogenous fungi strain resource library, sold as functional food ingredients and health products.
• Dual Cordyceps Probiotic Drinks Probiotic beverages combining dual cordyceps strains, marketed as functional food beverages for general health and wellness consumers.
• Yunpai Cordyceps Cicadae Wine (韵牌蝉花虫草酒) Cordyceps cicadae wine produced using Wuliang Nongxiang base liquor with solid-state dual-direction fermentation and static fermentation. Marketed under the Yunpai brand as a premium cordyceps-based alcoholic beverage product.
• Pien Tze Huang Cordyceps Co-Branded Product Line (片仔癀虫草系列) Co-branded cordyceps product line with Pien Tze Huang (片仔癀) including cordyceps cicadae pure powder, cordyceps cicadae tea, cordyceps cicadae wine, and plant-based beverages. Distributed through Pien Tze Huang's established pharmaceutical network.
• Cikaria Cordyceps Tablets Cordyceps cicadae tablets (Cikaria) launched in 2018 by Plantamed AB at the World Cordyceps Forum, targeting European and Nordic markets for modernized traditional Chinese medicine cordyceps products in tablet form.
• Bio-AGriculture Products (Cordyceps-Fed Livestock and Eggs) Cordyceps farm sheep, chickens, and eggs produced using proprietary cordyceps feed at Jiangsu Fanya Cordyceps Health Farm, creating a full-chain green industry system from farm to table. Includes deep processing of agricultural products.
• Industrial Tourism and Museum Services (Cordyceps Museum and Microbial Science Museum) Cordyceps Museum and Microbial Science Museum operated as National AAA-level tourist attractions and Zhejiang Province Science Education Base, offering visitor experiences, cultural products, and science education services while serving as retail outlets for health food products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cordyceps cicadae approved as New Food Ingredient by National Health Commission in 2021, opening market space for functional foods and health products
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Plantamed AB (瑞典植物药业有限公司)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2018BioAsia fully acquired Swedish Plantamed AB in 2018, a company with over 40 years of history. This acquisition established the European R&D center in Eskilstuna, Sweden, serving as a 'bridgehead' for outward development and internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine in European and Nordic markets. The new product 'Cikaria' (cordyceps cicadae tablets) was launched at the 2018 World Cordyceps Forum.
• Pien Tze Huang (片仔癀)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for co-branded cordyceps product line including cordyceps cicadae pure powder, cordyceps cicadae tea, cordyceps cicadae wine, and plant-based beverages. Leverages Pien Tze Huang's established pharmaceutical brand recognition and distribution channels for market expansion.
• Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Microbiology (中国科学院微生物研究所)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term research cooperation with China's top research institution for microbiology, supporting basic research and academic exchange in cordyceps fungi studies.
• China Medical University Institute of Medicinal Plant Development (中国医学科学院药用植物研究所)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term research cooperation supporting medicinal plant and cordyceps research and development collaboration.
• Zhejiang University College of Life Sciences (浙江大学生命科学学院)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term cooperation with one of China's leading universities for life sciences research and talent development in cordyceps and synthetic biology.
• Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (上海交通大学医学院)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch cooperation in medical and pharmaceutical applications of cordyceps fungi, including clinical research and drug development.
• Uppsala University (瑞典乌普萨拉大学)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational joint research projects with Uppsala University's cordyceps research team, promoting international frontier exploration of cordyceps fungi science.
• Cornell University (美国康奈尔大学)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research cooperation with Cornell University's life sciences department for cordyceps research and academic exchange.
• University of Tokyo (日本东京大学)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational joint research projects with University of Tokyo's cordyceps research team for advancing cordyceps science research.
• Shanghai University of Science and Technology National Science Park (上海理工大学国家大学科技园区)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitial R&D center established in 2009 at Shanghai University of Science and Technology National Science Park, marking the company's entry into the life sciences and biomedicine sector.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lallemand: Privately held global specialist in yeast, bacteria, and fungal fermentation for food, nutrition, and health applications, including probiotics and fermentation-derived ingredients. Directly comparable to BioAsia in microbial fermentation technology, B2B ingredient supply to food/health customers, and use of proprietary microbial strains as a core IP asset, with overlap in fungal-based fermentation products.
• By-Health (汤臣倍健): China's largest nutritional and dietary supplements company, selling vitamins, probiotics, and functional health foods through retail and e-commerce. Closest comparable in target customer (Chinese health-conscious consumers), product category (functional food/health supplements), and brand-led consumer health positioning, though BioAsia's platform is upstream fermentation and B2B rather than retail-led.
• Infinitus (无限极): Direct-selling health products company with a strong traditional Chinese medicine and herbal ingredient portfolio (including cordyceps-related SKUs), selling health foods, supplements, and personal care through a large distributor network. Comparable to BioAsia in TCM-rooted health food positioning, target consumer segment, and use of botanical/functional ingredients, with overlap in cordyceps-adjacent product categories.

Broad incumbents

• Lesaffre: French global leader in yeast and fermentation, producing baker's yeast, yeast extracts, and fermentation-derived ingredients for bakery, nutrition, and health applications across 90+ countries. Comparable to BioAsia in fermentation-based B2B ingredient model and microbial strain platform, though at substantially larger scale and broader product portfolio across food industries.
• Yunnan Baiyao (云南白药): Diversified TCM and consumer healthcare conglomerate combining proprietary herbal medicines with oral health, health supplements, and modern pharmaceutical products. Comparable to BioAsia in combining TCM heritage with modernized health food and consumer product lines, and in leveraging botanical/biological ingredients for branded health products, though at much larger scale and across multiple categories.
• Tong Ren Tang (同仁堂): Heritage traditional Chinese medicine brand with a wide portfolio of TCM health foods, herbal supplements, and pharmaceuticals sold through retail pharmacy chains. Comparable to BioAsia in the TCM-to-consumer-health-food pipeline and Chinese consumer health positioning, but far larger, with broader product portfolio and stronger brand distribution that BioAsia currently accesses through partnerships.
• Novonesis (formerly Novozymes): Global leader in industrial biotechnology and enzymes, formed from the 2024 merger of Novozymes and Chr. Hansen, serving food, health, agriculture, and bio-industrial markets. Comparable to BioAsia in applying microbial/enzymatic biotechnology to food and health ingredient production, but at vastly larger scale and with a much broader enzyme-and-culture platform rather than single-chassis focus.
• Angel Yeast (安琪酵母): China's leading yeast and fermentation derivatives company, listed on Shanghai Stock Exchange, producing baker's yeast, yeast extracts, and fermentation-based ingredients for food, beverage, and nutrition industries. Overlaps with BioAsia in microbial fermentation technology, B2B ingredient supply model, and industrial-scale biomanufacturing, but operates at substantially larger scale and broader product range.
• Dong-E-E-Jiao (东阿阿胶): Listed Chinese health products company best known for its donkey-hide gelatin (ejiao) TCM products and a broader portfolio of traditional Chinese health foods and supplements. Comparable to BioAsia in single-ingredient-rooted TCM health food brand strategy, Chinese consumer health positioning, and emphasis on traditional medicinal ingredients for modern functional food applications.

Emerging players

• Conagen: US-based synthetic biology company developing fermented ingredients for food, nutrition, beauty, and pharma using proprietary microbial strains and precision fermentation. Closest direct peer in technology approach (precision fermentation of proprietary strains for health/nutrition ingredients), though differs in geographic market focus, scale, and product end-markets versus BioAsia's cordyceps-centric fungal chassis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shanghai-bioasia-life-technology-co-ltd-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries7 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 BioAsia Group