The history and evolution
of IdB Holding
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Our Group
The history and evolution
of IdB Holding
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our group
A legacy of excellence across borders
Indena is a proud member of IdB Holding, a privately owned Italian company. The Group includes two subsidiaries: Indena, with a global presence spanning Italy, France, the USA, Brazil, China, Japan, and India; and Scharper, operating in Italy.
Our Group’s vision, mission, and core values
At IdB Holding, we are driven by a deep knowledge of active ingredients derived from medicinal plants and their applications in pharmaceuticals and health supplements. This expertise, combined with an unwavering pursuit of excellence, ensures the delivery of high-quality products to our clients in the pharmaceutical and health food sectors. Research and cutting-edge production technologies are central to the Group’s mission to create lasting value for our partners.
Our guiding principles reflect a steadfast dedication to business ethics, health, safety, quality, and a profound commitment to the Planet and to People.
1921 – 1955
Pioneering botanical innovation
IdB Holding’s journey began in 1921 in Milan, when Carlo Boccaccio Inverni pioneered the production of high-quality botanical extracts for Italy’s growing pharmaceutical industry. In 1924, Biagio Alberto Della Beffa joined as a partner and general manager, marking the founding of Inverni Della Beffa. At its core, the company’s mission was to provide pharmacies with standardized, chemically identifiable plant extracts, offering greater efficacy and stability compared to raw medicinal plants. This dedication to quality, scientific rigor, and industrial innovation set the foundation for decades of success.
In 1955, Luigi Della Beffa, the founder’s son, joined the company. Under his leadership, it expanded into the pharmaceutical manufacturing of finished dosage forms, based on plant-derived raw materials of its own production.
1960s – 1970s
Expanding horizons: the birth of Indena
In the second half of the 1960s, the company grew to the point that the Milan plant on Via Ripamonti could not sustain its industrial production of extracts and active ingredients from medicinal plants. Therefore, a new, state-of-the-art plant was built in Settala between 1966 and 1969, dedicated exclusively to the production of raw materials. Meanwhile, the Via Ripamonti facility continued to focus on pharmaceutical specialties.
By the late 1970s, the botanical derivatives business underwent a significant reorganization. This led to the establishment of Indena (INdustria DErivati NAturali), a specialized company dedicated to the production and commercialization of botanical derivatives.
1990s
A new focus for a global enterprise
In the early 1990s, the Group underwent significant restructuring. The pharmaceutical business was transferred to a company that retained the name Inverni Della Beffa, while the parent company adopted its current name, IdB Holding, transitioning into a holding with mixed financial and service activities. Around this time, the Group also acquired the current headquarters on Viale Ortles in Milan. In 1994, the Inverni Della Beffa pharmaceutical division was sold to Synthélabo, allowing the Group to sharpen its focus on extracts and active ingredients derived from medicinal plants.
In 1995, the Group acquired Synthélabo’s plants-related operations in France, including the production facility in Tours. In 1998, it acquired Bernett, a company in Palestro (near Milan) specializing in natural derivatives, to optimize the production of small and medium-sized traditional extracts. By 2000, Indena India – which the Group had controlled since 1998 – consolidated its operations by incorporating an Indian company with an extraction plant near Bangalore.
2000s
Building bridges across Asia
During the first decade of the 2000s, the Group pursued a strategic strengthening of its international presence, with a particular focus on Asia. Indena Japan was established in Tokyo in the early 2000s, to promote and directly distribute Indena products in the Japanese market. In 2006, the Group expanded further with the opening of Indena Biotechnology (Shanghai), a commercial company dedicated to serving the Chinese market.
Meanwhile, the Indian industrial site underwent significant expansion. It began handling the initial processing stages for Indian-origin plants, producing intermediates for European facilities, and manufacturing extracts and active ingredients for the Indian market, other Asian countries, and beyond.
2010s
Strategic acquisitions and new markets
Between 2011 and 2013, the Group reestablished its pharmaceutical finished product division with the acquisition of Scharper, a company active in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and dermo-cosmetic markets. Scharper’s products are promoted to the medical community through a network of medical-scientific representatives across Italy.
At the close of 2013, Indena Brasil was established in São Paulo to oversee the commercial promotion of the Group’s products in the South American market.
Throughout the second decade of the 2000s, the Group complemented its growing international footprint with the strategic decision to reintegrate downstream activities, further enhancing its global operations.
