The history of Bio-Strath

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How it all began

At a young age, company founder Fred Pestalozzi suffered from Menière’s syndrome – a disorder of the inner ear that causes dizziness and a whistling in the ears. It was by chance that he came across the concentrated herbal yeast preparation of the German chemist Dr. phil. nat. Walter Strathmeyer at that time – and thanks to him he was fully able to work again after only a few months. Pestalozzi was so enthusiastic about this personal success and the many positive reports from relatives and friends that he founded Bio-Strath AG in 1961.

The company had its first headquarters on Langstrasse in Zurich, at that time a simple workers’ quarter. Bio-Strath AG’s start-up product quickly found satisfied customers and sales figures increased. Thanks to Pestalozzi’s pioneering spirit, the company grew so much that after only 3 years a move became necessar

The success story

In 1964 the company moved to Herrliberg in the middle of an idyllic landscape with a beautiful view of Lake Zurich and the imposing Glarus Alps. There, all products are manufactured for the Swiss market and worldwide distribution according to high quality principles.

Company principles

In the meantime David Pestalozzi, the son of the founder, has taken over the company. The principles defined by his father are still valid today:

  • Preserve the naturalness of the ingredients
  • No addition of artificially produced substances
  • Natural shelf life without preservatives
  • Proof of effectiveness according to strictly scientific criteria
Explore the timeline to discover the most important stations of the Bio-Strath company.

Timeline

1961
Foundation
Bio-Strath AG founded. Launch of the Bio-Strath food supplement and convalescence drops.
1961
1962
Export
First deliveries to Canada.
1962
1962
Launch of Anima-Strath
Launch of Anima-Strath – tonic for animals.
1962
1963
Support in Southern India
Free deliveries of Strath liquid to hospitals in Southern India until 2015
1963
1964
Production site Herrliberg
First construction phase in Herrliberg.
1964
1967
Start of second construction phase
Distributors from all over the world are involved.
1967
1968
Hollywood
Film diva Gloria Swanson visits the production site in Herrliberg.
1968
1968
News of the World
Double-sided report in England's biggest daily newspaper "News of the World": within the shortest time, 600,000 bottles are flown across the channel in 12 aeroplanes.
1968
1969
Jo Siffert
Jo Siffert, world famous Formula 1 driver at the time, is presented to the media in Herrliberg as the official Strath ambassador.
1969
1969
Swimming marathon
A major sports event on Lake Zurich: Werner Hofmann (pictured on the right, with Fred Pestalozzi), former Swiss champion, wins the Bio-Strath Prize.
1969
1970
"Athlete of the month"
Adolf Ogi, President of the Swiss Ski Association, visits Herrliberg. Bio-Strath AG sponsors the campaign "Athlete of the month".
1970
1971
Film about Paracelsus
First showing of the documentary film detailing the life and work of Paracelsus. A cooperation of the Federal Department of Home Affairs and Bio-Strath AG.
1971
1972
Third and last construction phase
1972
1976
Tablets
Launch of Bio Strath tablets
1976
1981
Study "Improved concentration – improved performance"
A double-blind study with 60 test persons lasting 12 weeks demonstrated that the herbal yeast group achieved an average improvement of 64% compared to the placebo group of + 10%. Over the next few years, this is followed by different studies and scientific research on the following topics: bioavailability, oncology, bone formation, ability to concentrate, immune system, ADD/ADHD, chemotherapy, osteoporosis, pregnancy/haemoglobin levels, age-related complaints etc.
1981
1986
Second generation
With David Pestalozzi, the second generation joins the company.
Bio-Strath celebrates its 25th anniversary.
1986
1987
Strath tablets are introduced.
Strath tablets are introduced in the USA.
1987
1987
137 Japanese visit
137 Japanese visit the company in Herrliberg. For years Japan has been among the 5 distributors with the highest turnover.
1987
1990
The 3rd generation
The 3rd generation is born. Welcome Ramon Pestalozzi.
1990
1993
packaging line
State of the art: the new automatic filling and packaging line.
1993
1994
Space Shuttle
Bio-Strath sends yeast into space on the Space Shuttle and then produces a small batch of "Strath Space Herbal Yeast". This was a project of the ETH for basic research on yeast.
1994
1996
65,000 people
65,000 people have so far visited the factory in Herrliberg.
1996
1996
Equi-Strath
Launch of Equi-Strath – tonic for horses.
1996
2001
Name change
The name is changed from Bio-Strath to Strath food supplement.
2001
2007
South Africa becomes the prime export country
A success story: At the moment, outside Switzerland, more units of Strath are sold in South Africa than anywhere else.
2007
2010
Bligg: “Häsch Saft?”
Collaboration with the musician Bligg
2010
2011
Anniversary meeting
32 countries attend the distributors meeting
2011
2011
50 years
Around for 50 years: Bio-Strath AG
2011
2017
Strath Vitality & Strath Immune
Launch of Strath Vitality and Strath Immune
2017
2018
Chasing medals:
Since it was founded, Bio-Strath was able to support many excellent sports talents. In 2018, we supported these 4 athletes, and we are very proud of them!
2018
2020
Vitamin D
Launch of Strath Original food supplement with vitamin D
2020
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