HiSiaddi is an innovative foreign trade service provider driven by both technology transformation and cross-border trading. We have established a "1+2+3+4=1" integrated service system and can supply beta-carotene sourced directly from multiple well-known original manufacturers. Equipped with independent R&D capabilities as a tech-driven foreign trade enterprise, HiSiaddi has repeatedly resolved customized product demands for beta-carotene by collaborating with manufacturers on technology conversion and accurately capturing market demands. Below is a case illustrating how HiSiaddi delivered customized beta-carotene solutions.
For inquiries about customized services, please contact HiSiaddi customer service.
The cooperating party in this case is VITANED, a premium nutrition group headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. For over 30 years, it has specialized in high-end hospital-specific medical food and oral beauty dietary supplements sold across the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Its products are available in nutrition departments of Dutch public hospitals, national chains of Dutch Royal Pharmacies, and premium counters of European organic supermarkets. All its products comply with stringent access standards including EU Regulation EC1333/2008 on food additives, European Pharmacopoeia (EP), Dutch HACCP, HALAL and KOSHER certifications. The group’s core product lines cover eye-protecting soft capsules, sustained-release chewable tablets and cold-soluble oral nutrient solutions. It exclusively adopts naturally fermented beta-carotene from microbial fermentation and rejects petrochemical synthetic raw materials. Its annual stable customized procurement volume of beta-carotene across various specifications totals 36 tons, making it a typical high-standard mid-to-high-end raw material buyer, fundamentally different from bulk purchasers of low-grade feed-grade and ordinary food-grade raw materials.
Previously, the group sourced customized beta-carotene products from a long-established German pharmaceutical enterprise. Constrained by shrinking domestic fermentation raw material production capacity in Europe, a 35% year-on-year surge in raw material prices and extended customized production lead times up to 90 days, the group launched a China-based customized raw material substitution project in 2025. The client independently contacted three leading domestic beta-carotene manufacturers: Wuhan Jiahua, Dalian InnoBio and Xi’an Haisifu, and put forward differentiated customization requirements for three dosage forms: 30% oil suspension for soft capsules, 20% cold-water soluble microcapsule granules for tableting, and 5% nano cold-dispersible micropowder for high-end oral liquids. However, domestic manufacturers mainly mass-produce standard off-the-shelf products with fixed standard specifications, and were unwilling to carry out small-batch differentiated formula fine-tuning, wall material replacement and particle size control modification. Production schedules prioritized mass conventional orders, with exorbitant fees for customized sample preparation. Repeated trial samples failed to meet the client’s terminal production indicators. A total of 8 trial batches resulted in three types of production failures during pilot production on Dutch production lines: oil leakage of soft capsules, delamination and discoloration of tablets, and turbidity and precipitation of oral liquids at low temperatures. The client suffered over EUR 78,000 in losses from auxiliary material waste and discarded samples, and its new product launch plan was delayed by 60 days. After fruitless coordination with manufacturers for customization, the client formally entrusted HiSiaddi with full responsibility for the whole process of full-category customized development, process coordination, sample iteration and mass production delivery.
Mandatory customized technical indicators specified by the client, distinct from general off-the-shelf specifications available on the market:
1. Soft capsule oil suspension: 30% naturally fermented beta-carotene content; carrier oil limited to non-GMO extra virgin sunflower oil, refined soybean oil prohibited; antioxidant system replaced with natural rosemary extract, artificial antioxidants BHT and BHA banned; active ingredient loss ≤3% after 18 months of storage away from light at ambient temperature.
2. Tableting microcapsule granules: 20% content; wall material compounded with whey protein isolate and modified octenyl succinate starch; particle size controlled at 80~120 mesh; angle of repose ≤30°, no powder caking; no discoloration or precipitation after 60 days of high-temperature accelerated testing post tableting.
3. Oral liquid nano micropowder: 5% content, nano-encapsulated, instant full dissolution in cold water; clear liquid without precipitation after 90 days of refrigeration at 4°C; total microbial count ≤50 CFU/g, free of Salmonella and mold exceeding limits; compliant with EU clean label new regulations with no artificial additives listed on ingredient statements.
HiSiaddi collaborated with the client’s R&D engineers and technical leads from domestic manufacturers for on-site investigation, sorting out the root causes of failed customization, which also represent key bottlenecks preventing conventional domestic manufacturers from delivering high-end customized products:
Assembly lines of leading domestic manufacturers are designed for mass production of universal standard specifications. The 30% oil suspension is uniformly formulated with refined soybean oil as the carrier and synthetic artificial antioxidants, while the 20% microcapsules solely use maltodextrin as the wall material. Replacing raw materials or adjusting encapsulation formulas requires full-line shutdown and tank cleaning, incurring high one-time losses of raw materials and labor hours. Driven by production cost considerations, manufacturers decline to adjust independent formula systems for medium-batch customized orders and can only supply universal off-the-shelf specifications incompatible with the client’s clean label formulation requirements.
The client’s 5% nano micropowder for oral liquids requires secondary nano homogenization and spray drying. Conventional mass production equipment features fixed homogenization pressure and inlet air temperature, while pilot workshops are heavily scheduled with priority given to ten-thousand-ton low-grade feed raw material orders. Manufacturers refuse to activate separate pilot equipment for small-batch process debugging, leading to inconsistent particle sizes across trial samples and consequent low-temperature delamination and precipitation in oral liquids.
All auxiliary materials supplied by the client must be accompanied by EU-accessible COA reports and non-GMO certificates. Some domestic auxiliary material suppliers cannot issue corresponding overseas compliance documents, and the artificial antioxidants and carrier oils used in standard off-the-shelf products fail to meet Dutch clean label listing requirements, making finished products ineligible for sale on Dutch supermarket shelves.
The regular minimum order quantity for each single specification from the three manufacturers stands at ≥10 tons. In the trial production ramp-up phase of the client’s new products, only 1.2~2 tons are required per specification for initial customization, failing to meet the mass production minimum order threshold. Manufacturers either raise customized quotation prices by over 40% or decline orders outright, resulting in severe cost overruns for the client’s customization project.
HiSiaddi set up a special project team consisting of foreign trade project specialists, formulation engineers, production process coordinators and EU compliance document specialists. The team split the three categories of customization demands and adopted a "select designated manufacturers + phased small trial → pilot trial → mass production" implementation framework. Leveraging idle flexible pilot production lines of partner manufacturers, full-category customized development was completed in four phases:
Product categories were allocated based on the technical strengths of the three manufacturers: Dalian InnoBio took charge of 30% oil suspension customization (boasting outstanding oil refining and suspension technology); Wuhan Jiahua handled 20% tableting microcapsule granules (mature patented spray granulation and protein encapsulation technology); Xi’an Haisifu undertook 5% nano oral liquid micropowder (complete nano homogenization pilot production lines). This avoided excessive production modification costs for a single factory undertaking all product categories. HiSiaddi negotiated production schedule gaps with the three manufacturers to conduct customized debugging on idle pilot lines during mass production intervals, reducing factory shutdown losses and convincing manufacturers to lower the minimum customized order quantity from 10 tons to 1.5 tons, matching the client’s initial trial production volume.
1. Rectification of 30% soft capsule oil suspension customization: Coordinated Dalian InnoBio to replace the carrier oil, eliminating standard refined soybean oil and fully adopting EU-certified non-GMO extra virgin sunflower oil; removed synthetic antioxidants BHT/BHA and compounded a natural antioxidant system of rosemary extract + vitamin E. After three rounds of stability accelerated testing, the active ingredient loss of 2.7% after 18 months at ambient temperature met the client’s storage indicators.
2. Formulation upgrade of 20% tableting microcapsule granules: Jiahua abandoned single maltodextrin wall material and adopted a compound encapsulation process of whey protein isolate + sodium octenyl succinate starch per the client’s formula. Spray drying inlet air temperature was adjusted to 125°C and outlet air temperature to 62°C, precisely controlling particle size at 90~110 mesh with an angle of repose of 29.2°. Powder flowability satisfied the production demands of high-speed rotary tablet presses, eliminating tablet delamination and discoloration issues.
3. Process modification of 5% nano cold-soluble micropowder for oral liquids: Haisifu activated nano high-pressure homogenization equipment with secondary emulsification and encapsulation at 1200 bar homogenization pressure, optimizing wall material ratios. The finished product instantly dissolved in water, remaining clear without precipitation after 90 days of refrigeration at 4°C. All microbial testing results outperformed the client’s internal control standards, fulfilling formulation requirements for high-end oral liquids.
HiSiaddi assisted three auxiliary material suppliers in completing non-GMO certificates, full SGS test reports and EU food auxiliary material access qualifications. A full-chain traceability file covering beta-carotene from fermentation strains, culture medium, extraction and refining to finished products was compiled for each batch. Chinese-English ingredient lists and product safety assessment reports were organized in accordance with Dutch labeling regulations, with all documents passing pre-review by Dutch import legal teams. Finished product ingredient lists were directly applicable for EU clean label marking, eliminating compliance risks for terminal shelf sales.
After unified collection of samples, HiSiaddi conducted pre-testing via domestic third-party SGS laboratories before dispatching qualified samples to the client’s laboratory in the Netherlands for pilot production. Following five rounds of formula fine-tuning and sample submission for inspection, all three customized products passed full-line production testing at the client’s facility, completely resolving the three earlier failures of oil leakage, delamination and precipitation.
The initial trial batch of the three customized specifications totaled 4.8 tons, shipped in three consignments from Qingdao and Shanghai Ports to Rotterdam Port, the Netherlands. HiSiaddi oversaw full-item quality inspection prior to delivery, light-proof sealed packaging and pre-review of customs declaration documents throughout the process. Upon arrival at the port, dual sampling inspection by Dutch customs and the client’s laboratory cleared all physical, microbial and compliance documents in one go without detention or cargo hold-up. Equipped with customized raw materials, the client successfully completed mass production of new products, launching the delayed range onto Dutch high-end pharmacies and organic supermarket shelves as scheduled.
Based on the client’s quarterly production and sales plans, the annual order was split as follows: 16 tons of 30% oil suspension, 14 tons of 20% tableting microcapsules and 6 tons of 5% nano micropowder, scheduled for staggered production across 11 batches utilizing idle pilot lines secured with manufacturers for regular customized production. Compared with the original German-sourced raw materials, overall customized procurement costs dropped by 28.6%, and production lead times were shortened from 90 days to 32 days, significantly improving the client’s global supply chain turnover efficiency. When the client later slightly adjusted the antioxidant ratio of two products based on end-market sales volume, HiSiaddi coordinated manufacturers for rapid formula modification without charging excessive additional sample adjustment fees.
1. VITANED Group of the Netherlands fully terminated raw material procurement from German manufacturers and switched 100% of its 36-ton annual customized beta-carotene supply to Chinese customized raw materials coordinated by HiSiaddi. In the following year, the client added a customized demand for 1% ultra-low-temperature micropowder for infant special medical drops, with a new annual procurement order of 9 tons delivered using the mature customized process framework.
2. Drawing on this beta-carotene customization project, HiSiaddi established standardized process archives for high-end overseas customization with the three partner manufacturers, forming three major customization templates covering formula replacement, particle size regulation and auxiliary material compliance. This enabled the manufacturers to secure additional customized orders from two equivalent high-end dietary brands in Belgium and Luxembourg.
3. The client designated HiSiaddi as its exclusive customized raw material service provider in China, entrusting all customized development of carotenoid series raw materials including lutein and zeaxanthin to HiSiaddi to avoid setbacks in customized development at the source.
Leading domestic beta-carotene manufacturers possess mature mass production processes and abundant production capacity, yet their production lines are designed primarily for standardized bulk off-the-shelf output. Restricted by production costs and scheduling plans, they generally resist small-batch fine customized modifications. In contrast, mid-to-high-end European special medical and oral beauty brands face stringent EU clean label, pharmacopoeia and proprietary formula regulations, imposing highly personalized requirements on raw materials in terms of carriers, wall materials, antioxidant systems and particle size indicators. Independent manufacturer coordination by overseas buyers often leads to predicaments including unachievable customization, high minimum order quantities and repeatedly failed trial samples.
Breaking the traditional foreign trade model limited to off-the-shelf resale and quotation matching, HiSiaddi acts as a third-party customized coordination service provider to connect factory production line coordination, formula process optimization, compliance documentation processing, sample iteration and phased mass production services end-to-end. By balancing supply and demand costs through utilizing idle pilot production windows at manufacturers, HiSiaddi not only helps mid-to-high-end European clients realize personalized customized raw material solutions, cut procurement costs and achieve localized substitution of imported raw materials from China, but also assists premium domestic raw material manufacturers in escaping low-end homogeneous off-the-shelf price competition and entering high-value high-end European dietary supply chains, delivering long-term win-win results for both supply and demand sides.
For inquiries about customized services, please contact HiSiaddi customer service.
+86-13120989737 
info@hisiaddi.com 
English
