Our History
A proud history of growth and scientific innovation
Eurofins was founded in 1987 with four employees to market the SNIF-NMR™ technology, a patented analytical method used to verify the origin and purity of several types of food and beverages and identify sophisticated fraud not detectable by other methods. Today Eurofins is a leading provider of analytical services with:
- An international network of more than 800 laboratories across 50 countries in Europe, North and South America and Asia-Pacific
- More than 55,000 employees worldwide
- A portfolio of over 200,000 validated analytical methods
- More than 450 million tests performed each year to establish the safety, identity, composition, authenticity, origin, traceability, and purity of biological substances and products, as well as carry out human diagnostic services.
Eurofins' history can be divided up into four distinct phases:
1987 to 1997 | The Start-up Phase
Eurofins was founded in 1987 when Gilles Martin purchased the rights to the SNIF-NMR® technology from the University of Nantes, a technology that had been researched and developed by his own parents, who were professors at the university. During this start up period the SNIF-NMR® patent was registered and approved in the US and broadened to apply to a wider range of products than the original wine test, such as fruit juices and other non-alcoholic beverages. The strategy was then formulated to develop the offering in-house and to expand the range of tests provided to customers.
1997 to 2001 | Expanding the technology portfolio
The focus for Eurofins during this time was to buy the very best labs with unique technologies and know-how with the potential for global recognition. Additionally, the Group expanded to eight new countries and grew to include over 50 laboratory sites. Leading positions were built up in core markets (Food, Pharma and Environment) and also key segments such as genomic information and contaminants testing. This in turn enabled the group access to new, top-tier clients in the pharma and retailing sectors. This was funded firstly with the IPO in Paris in 1997 and then the secondary listing in Frankfurt in 2000.
2002 to 2004 | Establishing the Infrastructure
This period was a time when Eurofins needed to develop the infrastructure to support the business as it stood, but also to enable it to operate much more efficiently. Bigger, more specialized and more productive sites were developed and the Group was able to drive higher sales and margins through economies of scale and additional cost saving measures (rent, personnel, consumables). A unified IT platform was developed that allowed businesses around the world to access a widening portfolio of sales and to take advantage of cutting edge logistics.
2005 to today | Becoming a global reference
Eurofins has now embarked on another phase of growth based on the unique infrastructure and technological portfolio implemented in the previous years and is continuing to expand its global coverage and local market share both through organic growth and a judicious acquisition program. With the goal of becoming the world leader in bioanalytical testing, Eurofins now directly operates in six different continents, with a product portfolio of more than 200,000 different methods and over 55,000 employees.
Contact erssinfo@eurofins.com for more information.