Colostrum BioTec, a German company, is determined to make bovine colostrum appealing to the average shopper. This ingredient is highly sought-after in the nutraceutical industry due to its immunity-boosting properties. Despite the benefits of colostrum, the taste of the gold-colored liquid is not for everyone. Martin Thiems, marketing and distribution manager for Colostrum BioTec, explained that “the problem with colostrum is that it has a really cheesy, almost whey-like taste.” However, to address this issue, the company’s liquid product brand, armacura, provides a 6ml daily shot with high concentrations of immunoglobulin G that does not contain any lactose or gluten.
In Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, Colostrum BioTec has over 1,400 farmers that provide them with the raw material. These farms must be German-standard quality milk producers that meet the company’s rigorous standards. Thiems further added that “we are not just buying colostrum from anyone – we are running our own collection system with our own collectors and drivers. We have extremely high standards because we have to make sure the colostrum is usable for humans and for animals.”
Despite the lucrative market, the company’s “German-produced and German-tested” products can be expensive. However, Colostrum BioTec’s focus is to make a very safe, secure, and 100% natural product. Therefore, they have FSSC 22000 certification and organic certification to ensure their products are safe for the entire family.
Currently, no health claims are based specifically on the properties of colostrum in Germany. However, the company is part of ZIM, Germany’s largest innovation program for small and medium-sized enterprises, under which Colostrum BioTec will try to invent a product in order to obtain a health claim.
Thiems believes that the company must educate consumers on what colostrum is, as it is still relatively unknown in Europe. Meanwhile, in Asia, people are familiar with colostrum and even have applications for infants. For this reason, the company is expanding its product line, offering flavored powdered colostrum sticks such as strawberry flavor, and liquid lactoferrin. The hope is to get consumers educated in the next five years while also advancing research in this area. Thiems concludes, “it’s really important for us to highlight that these are natural ingredients that are good for health.”