Jebsen & Jessen Life Science GmbH

What Jebsen & Jessen Life Science GmbH does

Jebsen & Jessen Life Science GmbH is a Hamburg, Germany-based B2B trading and distribution company that sources, qualifies, warehouses, and distributes specialty ingredients to industrial manufacturers in three end-markets: food additives, feed additives, and Home & Personal Care. Established as an independent GmbH in 2017 within the Jebsen & Jessen Hamburg Gruppe (founded 1909), the company operates from its Rödingsmarkt 16 headquarters with a team of 28 employees. Its core product portfolio covers acidifiers, sweeteners, antioxidants, amino acids, preservatives, stabilizers, proteins, starches, flavor enhancers, vitamins, surfactants, phosphates, bleaches, and water softeners — sourced primarily through long-standing certified supplier relationships in China and India and distributed via a network of 12 logistics locations across Europe and the USA, handling approximately 200,000 tons of product volume annually.

The business model is a transaction-fee trading and distribution model: the company buys specialty ingredients from Asian suppliers, holds inventory in European and US warehouses, performs quality assurance in German laboratories, and resells to B2B customers under individually negotiated terms. Pricing is B2B-negotiated and not publicly disclosed, with offers issued per kilogram on EXW Hamburg Incoterms 2020 terms. The go-to-market is sales-led, with direct customer consultation, a corporate product-catalog website, downloadable brochures, a Market Update newsletter delivered via Brevo, Google Ads paid search, and a LinkedIn corporate presence. Quality is anchored by ISO 9001:2015, GMP+, IFS Broker, and Bio DE Öko 006 certifications, which the company maintains as a baseline for serving regulated European food and feed customers.

The company operates within the Jebsen & Jessen Trading Solutions division of the parent group, sharing administrative and group-level resources with affiliated entities including Jebagro, Ruhr Petrol, Jebsen & Jessen Chemicals, and Latin American subsidiaries in Colombia and Ecuador. Managing Director Björn Frese has been with the parent group since his 1996 apprenticeship and led the Life Science division through its 2017 incorporation. No institutional investment, public listing, M&A activity, or funding events are disclosed in the source material; growth is funded organically within the parent group.

Name

Jebsen & Jessen Life Science GmbH

Legal name

Jebsen & Jessen Life Science GmbH

Website

https://jj-lifescience.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jebsen & Jessen Life Science GmbH is a Hamburg-based B2B trading and distribution company sourcing specialty food, feed, and Home & Personal Care additives from certified Asian suppliers for industrial manufacturers in Europe and South America, supported by 12 logistics locations and ISO, GMP+, and IFS certifications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemical Distribution

NAICS

Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers (4246)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Food-Grade Chemicals & Processing Aids Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAJ)

Keywords

• Specialty chemical distribution
• Food additive trading
• Feed ingredient supply
• Home care raw materials
• B2B chemical distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg, HH

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Distribution & Trading of Additives: Revenue is generated through the import, distribution, and sale of food additives, feed additives, and Home & Personal Care ingredients to industrial B2B customers in Europe and South America. The company acts as a trading house, providing procurement, logistics, quality management, and sales services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Jebsen & Jessen Life Science GmbH is a B2B trading and distribution company that imports and supplies food additives, feed additives, and Home & Personal Care ingredients from certified international suppliers (notably China and India) to industrial manufacturers in Europe and South America. The company operates a diversified warehouse network with 12 logistics locations across Europe and the USA, handling approximately 200,000 tons of product volume annually. Service scope covers the full value chain including procurement, quality management, logistics, and sales, with all products tested in German laboratories and certified to EU standards.

Product overview

Jebsen & Jessen Life Science GmbH operates as a B2B trading and distribution company for food additives, feed additives, and Home & Personal Care products. Their product portfolio encompasses Lebensmittelzusatzstoffe (food additives including acidifiers, sweeteners, antioxidants, amino acids, preservatives, release agents, stabilizers/thickeners, proteins, starches, energy drink ingredients, humectants, flavor enhancers, and flavors), Futtermittelzusatzstoffe (feed additives including amino acids, vitamins, antioxidants, preservatives, stabilizers, sweeteners, and acidifiers), and Home & Personal Care Products (surfactants, defoamers, phosphates, binders, acids, bleaches, and water softeners). The company complements its product offerings with service modules including Procurement (Beschaffung), Quality Management (Qualitätsmanagement), Logistics (Logistik), and Sales (Verkauf), all delivered through the Jebsen & Jessen Hamburg Gruppe network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lebensmittelzusatzstoffe (Food Additives)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Certified Suppliers (China and India)coreOthersJebsen & Jessen Life Science works with carefully selected and certified suppliers in China and India. Long-term supplier relationships and locally-based agents ensure constant price monitoring, early market intelligence, and reliable sourcing of food additives, feed additives, and Home & Personal Care ingredients.
• Logistics Partners (Europe and USA)coreOthersA diversified warehouse network in Europe and the USA enables flexible, punctual, and reliable delivery. Logistics partners handle storage, repackaging, siloing, and Just-in-Time delivery for various product types including bulk and breakbulk shipments, tank containers, and flexibags.
• Jebsen & Jessen Hamburg Gruppe (Parent Company)coreOthersJebsen & Jessen Life Science is a subsidiary of the Jebsen & Jessen Hamburg Gruppe, operating within the Trading Solutions division. The parent group provides a comprehensive network, shared expertise, and group-wide resources including the Jebsen & Jessen Trading Solutions, Jebsen & Jessen Chemicals, Jebagro, Ruhr Petrol, and other entities.
• LinkedInminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLinkedIn is used for corporate social media presence and marketing. The SociableKIT widget integrates the company's LinkedIn feed on the website.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brenntag: Global market leader in chemical and ingredient distribution with substantial food, feed, and personal care portfolios. Brenntag is the most directly comparable peer to JJ Life Science in terms of trading model, customer base, and additive product mix, operating at vastly greater scale across all three of JJ's segments.
• Caldic: Global specialty ingredients distributor with food, personal care, and animal nutrition specializations. Caldic's European roots and ingredient-only focus make it a particularly close peer to JJ Life Science in the food and feed additive categories.
• Azelis: Specialty ingredients distributor with explicit food and personal care divisions. Azelis competes directly with JJ Life Science in European additive distribution, with a similar emphasis on technical selling, supplier partnerships, and certified product portfolios.
• IMCD Group: European-headquartered specialty chemicals and ingredients distributor with strong food and personal care presence. IMCD's focus on specialty formulations, supplier partnership model, and European customer base closely mirror JJ Life Science's positioning in food and Home & Personal Care additives.
• Connell Bros (Wilbur-Ellis): Specialty ingredients and chemicals distributor focused on Asia-Pacific sourcing for food, personal care, and industrial customers. Connell Bros operates a closely analogous model to JJ Life Science in connecting Asian producers with Western buyers of specialty additives.
• Barentz: European specialty ingredients distributor organized around food, personal care, and animal nutrition segments — directly mirroring all three of JJ Life Science's product pillars. Barentz is one of the closest head-to-head competitors for mid-market EU B2B accounts.

Broad incumbents

• Univar Solutions: Large North American–anchored specialty chemical and ingredient distributor serving food, personal care, and industrial markets. Univar offers overlapping capabilities to JJ Life Science but as part of a much broader portfolio including commodity chemicals, making it a broader incumbent rather than a direct specialty peer.

Regional players

• DKSH: Asia-based market expansion services company providing specialty ingredients distribution across food and personal care. DKSH's Asia-centric footprint and ingredient focus make it complementary rather than head-to-head, but its sourcing capabilities intersect with JJ's Asian procurement model.
• Helm AG: Hamburg-based chemical distribution company with similar geographic base to JJ Life Science and overlapping specialty chemicals activities. Helm operates a broader portfolio across fertilizers, crop protection, and life science ingredients and serves as a regionally anchored peer.

Others

• Jebsen & Jessen Trading Solutions: Sister company within the Jebsen & Jessen Hamburg Gruppe offering commodity trading solutions. Adjacent within the same parent group with overlapping supplier networks and shared infrastructure, providing natural cross-referral and resource leverage for JJ Life Science.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jebsen-jessen-life-science-gmbh

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Jebsen & Jessen Life Science GmbH