Wander AG


Wander AG is a food producer that is owned by Associated British Foods and is based in Neuenegg. The company employs about 300 people in Switzerland. Its most well-known product is Ovomaltine and Isostar.

History

In 1865 Georg Wander opened a "chemical-technical and analytical" laboratory in the old town of Bern. His son Albert Wander, took over the company in 1897. In 1904, the production of the malt beverage Ovomaltine was started. The first sales depots opened in Italy and England only two years later. In 1908 the sole proprietorship was converted into a stock corporation. In 1913, the first Ovomaltine production facility outside of Switzerland was built in Kings Langley. In 1927 the Swiss production site was moved from Bern to Neuenegg. In 1997, a new Ovomaltine production plant was opened in Neuenegg, which has been responsible for pan-European production since 2002.
Wander AG was taken over by Sandoz in 1967 and sold to Associated British Foods in 2002.

Products

In addition to Ovomaltine products, Wander AG also manufactures the first isotonic drink on the market, Isostar, as well as the chocolate beverage powder Caotina, the nutritional supplement Jemalt and protein bars for endurance sports.

Trivia

In 1958, the chemists Hunziker, Smutz, and Eichenberger at Wander AG in Bern synthesized a substance called clozapine as part of a screening for new antidepressants involving around 2,000 substances. In 1960 the substance was patented and from 1962 the first trials were carried out on people with the new "antidepressant"; however, these were not very successful. The substance was tested from 1966 on in people with chronic productive schizophrenia, the antipsychotic effect being noticed. In 1972 clozapine was launched under the trade name Leponex. The tram station of the Bern tram at the former Bern hiking headquarters continues to be called "Wander".

Literature

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