Our company history

Selectchemie AG was founded on March 6, 1969, by Walter Preibisch, Hugo Müller, André Baudet and others for the purpose of trading in animal feed additives. In September 1969, it moved into the company headquarters on Etzelstrasse in Zurich, where its headquarters are located to this day. In 2022, the headquarters were renovated, modernized and adapted to changing needs and company growth. There are now around 80 employees in Zurich and a total of around 130 employees at locations in 17 countries around the world working for Selectchemie.

Closeness to customers and a stable global supplier network have been a strategic focus of Selectchemie from the start. In 1970, André Baudet founded the first international location in São Paulo, Brazil, together with Walter Sägesser as partner and managing director. Locations in Romania, Bulgaria, Peru, Poland and Serbia followed in the 1990s, and Selectchemie France and Italy were founded, in which Selectchemie AG held a minority interest. The shares in Selectchemie Italy were divested in 2022. The first sourcing office was opened in China in 1996, the second followed in India in 2004. Further locations were opened in Turkey, Ukraine, Germany and Argentina in the 2000s. Offices in Spain and Mexico followed, and Selectchemie GmbH was founded in Hamburg, Germany, in 2018. The office in Egypt opened in 2022. Two further Swiss locations were opened in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino in 2023.

Selectchemie’s original core business was the distribution of animal feed additives. With a team of twelve employees, the company quickly established itself as a trusted partner in the Swiss animal feed industry, distinguished by its scientific expertise. From the outset, Selectchemie positioned itself not as a traditional trader, but as a full-service provider.

At the same time, the APIs and excipients business developed in parallel. A key milestone was the successful takeover of the FMC Philadelphia distribution, which enabled Selectchemie to enter both the generics and research sectors early on. Through the addition of manufacturing partners from Asia and Europe, the company steadily expanded its portfolio and, within less than two decades, was able to offer a comprehensive range of active pharmaceutical ingredients.

The Human Nutrition division was established in 1990. As regulatory requirements in the animal feed sector became increasingly stringent, particularly for antibiotics and growth promoters, this business was discontinued in 2014 for strategic reasons. In the same year, Selectchemie opened its own application laboratory to further strengthen its customer service capabilities. The Nutrition division went on to become a leading distribution platform for the Swiss food and dietary supplement industry and has operated under the Selectnutrition brand since 2023. In December 2025, Selectchemie signed an agreement to divest this business, effective 1 April 2026, marking a strategic step towards a stronger focus on its core pharmaceutical activities.

In 2010, Selectchemie expanded its business model to include finished dosage forms (FDF), with the aim of developing and launching its own generic drug products in collaboration with project and financing partners. The first product, Caspofungin, was launched in 2017, followed by Anidulafungin in 2019 and Micafungin in 2020.

Ensuring the highest and consistent quality in all business activities is essential for Selectchemie. In 1994, Selectchemie achieved ISO 9001 certification, and GMP and GDP certification by Swissmedic in 2001. Further certifications followed and we switched to ISO 22000 in 2015. In order to be able to import active ingredients into the European Union, we received certification according to Section 67 AMG (German Medicinal Products Act) and later also approval according to Section 52 AMG for the wholesale trade in pharmaceutical products.