Balchem Corporation
www.balchem.com/human-nutrition-health
Balchem Corporation develops, manufactures and markets specialty ingredients that improve and enhance the health and well-being of life on the planet, providing state-of-the-art solutions and the finest quality products for a range of industries worldwide. The company reports three business segments: Human Nutrition & Health; Animal Nutrition & Health; and Specialty Products.
The Human Nutrition & Health segment delivers customized food and beverage ingredient systems, as well as key nutrients into a variety of applications across the food, supplement and pharmaceutical industries. The Animal Nutrition & Health segment manufactures and supplies products to numerous animal health markets. Through Specialty Products, Balchem provides specialty-packaged chemicals and chelated minerals to the micronutrient agricultural market.
In his 25 years of service to the dietary supplement industry, Jim Hyde has led multiple successful and respected organizations, mentored dozens of industry professionals, and inspired colleagues through his collaborative nature and gracious demeanor.
Hyde joined Albion Laboratories as general counsel in 1997 and transitioned to CEO in 2000. When Balchem Corporation acquired Albion in 2016, he became the vice president of the Human Nutrition & Pharma segment. Hyde currently serves as the senior vice president and general manager of Balchem Human Nutrition & Health. He led the unification of the Food and Minerals & Nutrients business segments to form Balchem Human Nutrition & Health. His leadership forged the Scientific Advisory Board for VitaCholine, and he led the global expansion of the Albion Minerals distribution network, growing the business as the leader in mineral chelates worldwide.
Hyde was a driving force at Balchem to create the partnership with Vitamin Angels, a global public health nonprofit that distributes lifesaving vitamins and minerals to women and young children in need around the world.
He served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, the leading trade association for dietary supplements, from 2018 to 2019. Hyde has also served as a council member for the IADSA and the United Nutritional Products Association.
NIE: Earlier this year, Balchem was named one of Newsweek’s 2022 list of America’s Most Responsible Companies. What do honors like this mean for your company?
Hyde: We are honored to be recognized as one of Newsweek’s Most Responsible Companies. It is a testament of Balchem’s commitment and continued efforts to advance our Environmental, Social and Governance initiatives. We are committed to operating with excellence as strong stewards of the planet and our stakeholders while providing innovative solutions for the health and nutritional needs of the world. Last year, our high-quality ingredients reached 1.4 billion people, and we’re on track to surpass that number this year.
NIE: In June, the company announced that it agreed to acquire Kappa Bioscience. What does this acquisition mean for Balchem?
Hyde: The acquisition accelerates our strategy to expand our portfolio of science-based specialty nutrients with leading positions in growing markets. Vitamin K2 is a strategic fit and aligns well with our vision of “making the world a healthier place.” Kappa is the leader within its space and the only company offering a patented, 99.7 percent all-trans vitamin K2 as MK-7, identical to the bioactive vitamin K2 molecule found in nature. We believe the combining of our two companies will strengthen our scientific and technical expertise, geographic reach and marketplace leadership while ultimately leading to accelerated growth for both companies’ portfolios.
As a vitamin K2 innovation and science leader, and specifically the leading company for synthetic vitamin K2, Kappa Bioscience has achieved strong growth in prior years and is well positioned to continue its growth trend and is a strong strategic fit with Balchem. Vitamin K2 and Kappa Bioscience fit extremely well into Balchem’s strategic position of offering specialty nutritional ingredients that are differentiated by strong extant and emerging science, intellectual property and brand recognition; Balchem’s global reach, operational capacity and customer focus will add value to the Kappa value proposition. The Kappa leadership team is strong, experienced and committed; they know and understand the vitamin K2 market and have made the K2Vital brand the most recognized and well-regarded brand in the vitamin K2 segment through their commitment to quality, science and transparent communication. Adding to the strategic fit of Kappa with Balchem is the set of common values and business ethics that each company espouse: both are focused on doing the right thing, focusing on customer success and loyalty, and delivering significant growth through commercial excellence and performance. Balchem’s strength in the United States will further accelerate the growth of Kappa’s vitamin K2 platform in that key market. At the same time, Kappa provides Balchem with increased access to European markets.
NIE: What is the Balchem Helping Hands initiative?
Hyde: At Balchem, we continuously pride ourselves in being members of the communities in which we work and supporting our local communities in a variety of ways. By harnessing the collective efforts of our employees, Balchem gives back to the local communities where we operate and provides a helping hand to those in need.
Balchem supports and partners with organizations that share the same vision of making the world a healthier place. We are proud to support Vitamin Angels in their fight for the health of pregnant women, infants and children living in the hardest-to-reach communities in the U.S. and around the world. With Balchem’s support, Vitamin Angels provides these women and children with life-changing vitamins.
Balchem’s matching donation program supports our employees in their personal philanthropy and charitable giving by providing dollar-for-dollar matches for qualified non-profit organizations that align with Balchem’s vision to make the world a healthier place. Balchem Helping Hands Volunteer Program allows our employees to collaborate and share best practices for volunteer activities. Our local site teams organize volunteer events at charities in the communities where we operate. Whether it is packing up food at a food bank, cleaning up the landscape or donating backpacks, Balchem Helping Hands supports our local communities.
