SupplySide Global Experience China: Xylitol Innovation

by Jon Benninger, Vice President, VIRGOs Health & Nutrition Network

YUCHENG, ChinaDay 1 of our SupplySide Global Experience film shoot in China began early with a drive from Jinan to Yucheng to tour the headquarters and campus of Futaste, the largest manufacturer of xylitol in Asia.

The company has made impressive investments in R&D, quality assurance, and manufacturing that have resulted in incredible growth since its formation 20 years ago. In fact, the company has gone from an annual output of 400 metric tons of xylitol per year to more than 40,000 metric tons per year.

We toured the facility and observed the full process from the initial raw material (corn cobs) thru processing, testing and packaging. The company actually creates more than 100 high value ingredients from what would otherwise be a waste product. The technology to do this was developed by Futaste in collaboration with scientific experts at universities and institutions throughout China. This investment has resulted in a thriving business that serves leading companies around the world such as Nestlé, Kraft, Wrigley and more.

During our filming, the local TV news affiliate came out to cover our activity and produced a story on the evening news. For Day 2 we will be driving with our crew to visit Yuwang Bio, the leading producer of non-GMO soy protein in China.

We will be in China for one week as we produce this documentary film that will debut at SupplySide West Nov. 12-16 in Las Vegas. Special thanks to Rochem International for underwriting this project.

Below are some pictures from Day 1.