Our History

Start-up phase (1987–1997)

The group was founded in 1987 when Gilles Martin purchased the rights to the SNIF-NMR® technology from the University of Nantes. SNIF-NMR® was researched and developed by his parents, who were university professors. During this start-up period, the SNIF-NMR® patent was registered and approved in the United States and broadened to apply to a wider range of products beyond the original wine test, such as fruit juices and other non-alcoholic beverages. The strategy was then adjusted to develop the offering internally and to expand the range of tests for customers.

Expansion of the technology portfolio (1997–2001)

The focus for Eurofins Scientific during this period was to acquire the very best laboratories with unique technologies with the potential for global recognition. In addition, the Group expanded into eight new countries and grew to more than 50 laboratories. Leading positions were built in core markets (Food, Pharma and Environment) and key segments such as genomic information and contaminant testing.

This enabled the group to access new, and leading, customers in the pharmaceutical and retail sectors. This was funded first with the IPO in Paris in 1997 and then with the secondary listing in Frankfurt in 2000.

Establishing the Infrastructure (2002–2004)

This period was a time when Eurofins Scientific needed to develop the infrastructure to support the business as it stood, but also to enable it to operate much more efficiently.

Bigger, more specialised and more productive sites were developed and the Group was able to drive higher sales and margins through economies of scale and additional cost saving measures (rent, personnel, consumables). A unified IT platform was developed that allowed businesses around the world to access a widening portfolio of sales and to take advantage of cutting edge logistics.

Becoming a Global Reference (2005 onwards)

Eurofins Scientific has now embarked on another phase of growth based on the unique infrastructure and technological portfolio implemented in the previous years.

The Group is continuing to expand its global coverage and local market share both through organic growth and a judicious acquisition program. With the goal of becoming the world leader in bioanalytical testing the Group now directly operates in six different continents, with a product portfolio of more than 150,000 different methods and over 35,000 employees.