Our history
150 years of dedication have led us to where we are today. Our company's long and rich history includes 75 years spent at the forefront of antibiotics production.
Ever since our foundation, we have been working closely with our customers and partners to improve and save lives, and to identify and seize new opportunities. Our innovative spirit continues through to this day.
Our story begins in 1869 in the town of Delft, the Netherlands where, as the yeast and spirits company 'Nederlandsche Gist- en Spiritusfabriek', we created the building blocks for a formidable 150-year track record in innovation.
From here, we became one of the first companies worldwide to produce life-saving antibiotics on an industrial scale in the 1940s. In 2000, Centrient radically changed how penicillin is manufactured, developing fermentation-based enzymatic production, a more environmentally sustainable way to manufacture antibiotics, than the traditional solvent-based production process for antibiotics.
And in the decades since, we have expanded globally through acquisitions and joint ventures, first in India and China, and then in Mexico, investing in supply chain diversification, ultimately helping to secure reliable supply. Since 2014, we have led the industry in addressing the health threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The world needs life-preserving medicines that are always one step ahead of diseases' trajectory. Centrient is partnering with nature to grow foundational medicines - these are medicines which are key to any functioning healthcare, are generic, and off-patent - with the quality, reliability and sustainable supply necessary to stay one step ahead of diseases.
