Biochem, a leading innovator of feed additives and nutritional supplements, announced the retirement of founder and co-CEO Eckhard Thölke.

Thölke founded Biochem in 1986 with a vision and “Feed Safety for Food Safety®” was born. Biochem has grown into a thriving business with over 370 employees and sales in more than 80 countries. Biochem's leadership remains unbroken with co-CEOs Alexander Grafe and Heiko Greimann.

“It has been an honor to be a part of Biochem’s leadership for the past 38 years,” stated Thölke. “I am proud of what our team has accomplished, and I have every confidence that Biochem will be successful under the continued leadership of Grafe and Greimann.”

Thölke has served as CEO since the company's founding in 1986. Greimann joined Biochem in 1991 and has served as general manager since 2000. In this role, Greimann has been instrumental in the technical development of Biochem’s product portfolio. Greimann was joined by Alexander Grafe in 2011, and the trio has led Biochem through a period of significant growth and innovation to become a recognized leader in the feed additive and nutritional supplement industry.

Biochem has grown from its humble beginnings to an approximately 13,000 m² GMP+ certified manufacturing and logistics facility—with a recent 4,500 m² expansion completed in 2022. With his retirement, Thölke leaves the company in the hands of the ongoing leadership of Greimann and Grafe.

“We are grateful to Eckhard Thölke for his dedication over the years,” said Grafe. “We have a solid strategic plan in place for the future and are poised for further growth—basically, business as usual.”

Eckhard Thölke continues to advise Biochem on strategic decisions as the chief representative of the Family-Holding. At its core, Biochem remains a family business with a reputation for science-based, high-quality products.