Cell Biotech, which has held the top spot among South Korean probiotic exporters for 13 consecutive years, has made its first shipment of CBT probiotics to South Africa, marking the company's entry into the African continent. The move completes a global distribution network spanning 56 countries across all six continents — adding Africa to an existing footprint that already covered Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania.
The South Africa deal was struck at Vitafoods Europe, the world's largest health food and nutrition trade fair. Cell Biotech first attended the event in 2002 as the first Korean company to do so, and has built its international network there continuously over the past 25 years, promoting the technological credentials of Korean-made probiotics.
Backed by its global partnerships, Cell Biotech recorded cumulative probiotic exports of 268.8 billion won ($191 million) between 2013 and 2025 — roughly half of the 538.5 billion won in total cumulative probiotic exports from South Korea over the same period.
Country-level results have also become more pronounced. In Denmark, the birthplace of modern probiotics, the company's Duolac brand has overtaken local rivals to claim the No. 1 share of pharmacy sales. In Germany, cumulative exports have surpassed $30 million. The company has also secured the top market share in Indonesia and leads the prescription drug segment in Singapore, cementing its position across both emerging and advanced markets.
At the heart of these results is the company's proprietary Dual Coating technology. The process wraps probiotic strains in a double layer of protein and polysaccharides, delivering intestinal survival rates up to 221 times higher than uncoated strains and maintaining stability at temperatures as high as 40 degrees Celsius — giving the product a competitive edge in climates ranging from Russia's extreme cold to Africa's tropical heat. Cell Biotech has further bolstered its global quality credentials by registering 11 strains under FDA GRAS, the highest safety standard set by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Duolac's entry into Africa demonstrates that the core coating technology and quality reliability behind Korean probiotics — already validated in Europe, the home of probiotic culture, and across Asia — hold up across the world's diverse climates and retail environments.
"This South Africa export is meaningful because it extends the reach of Korean probiotics to all six continents," a Cell Biotech official said. "We will continue to strengthen our competitiveness in global markets on the strength of our proprietary CBT probiotics and Dual Coating technology."
silverpaper@heraldcorp.com
