As a trusted, solutions provider of ingredients for the health and nutrition industries, Shanghai Freemen delivers exceptional value and transparency to customers through our network of strategic partnerships with leading manufacturers of innovative ingredients. These long standing partnerships allow us virtual control over every aspect of the supply chain process and ensure our ability to deliver on our three founding principles of Quality, Service, and Market Intelligence.

The proven ability to deliver superior quality products is the first step in establishing trust and reliability with our customers. We have a rigorous Quality Assurance process that includes in-house and third party testing, as well as, annual on-site audits of all our suppliers, to ensure the quality and consistency of their products.

And, while transparency is a new concept for many in our industry, it has been an ongoing passion for Shanghai Freemen. Our strategic partnerships allow our customers the ability to trace every product from seed to shelf, including locations, times and durations of shipment.

Our goal has always been to truly understand our customer’s needs and ensure they are met at every level of contact. Blending old world ethics with a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit, we provide personal one-to-one service that extends throughout our entire supply chain. This includes working hand-in-hand with customers and our strategic partners to create innovative ingredients that can improve a product’s characteristics, add nutritional value, or help to develop first-to-market products. And, as a company with a global footprint, we ensure on-time delivery of the products our customers rely on.

By maximizing the combined knowledge of our vast network of product managers, account managers, and other strategic partners we are able to provide customers with timely insights about any aspect of our supply chain that could impact volatility of pricing, supply consistency, ingredient quality, or exceptions in the shipping of our products. This level of transparency is possible only because Shanghai Freemen recognizes that every employee every supplier, and every customer is a partner in our success.

Shanghai Freemen, the one supply chain solutions provider who can deliver exceptional Quality, Service, and Market Intelligence to help our customers flourish in today’s competitive marketplace.

Who is Shanghai Freemen?
As a global manufacturer, supplier, and distributer of nutrition ingredients for industries, we believe that who we are today is a direct result of the choices we’ve made along our journey. We truly care about our customers, and are dedicated to providing the highest quality ingredients available.

Shanghai Freemen is proud to provide exceptional ingredients and solutions to enhance the performance, taste, and nutritional benefits of the world’s most celebrated brands. Since our doors opened in 1995, our focus has been to support our customers in the food, beverage, dietary supplement, personal care, and animal nutrition markets, and help them bring their ideas to life.

What do we do?
With our core ingredient portfolio, we’re the preferred supplier for leading dietary supplement, functional food and beverage, cosmetic and animal nutrition manufacturers around the globe. We learn as much as possible about our products and markets, and build close relationships with our partner factories to provide a tailor fit solution.

How do we do it?
We never stop asking how we can do things better. Hybrid by design, we manufacture the products we are experts in, partner with leading manufacturers we know and trust, and support our customers through a global distribution system. This allows us to provide direct access, greater control, and complete transparency throughout the entire supply chain.

Our Story
In 1995, four pioneers made their dreams a reality by founding Shanghai Freemen Life Sciences. Led by David Zhang, the courageous group of ingredient innovators first introduced glucosamine into the U.S. market, and has since grown Shanghai Freemen into a globally recognized manufacturer and distributor of specialty food and nutrition ingredients.

Flash-forward to today, Shanghai Freemen is a team of dedicated, expertly trained individuals with operations in four countries. We draw on our 20 years of global experience to deliver high quality, competitively priced products. Although we have grown since our humble beginnings, our foundation remains ingrained in everything we do – quality ingredients, unparalleled market knowledge, and a commitment to exceptional customer service.

Our Values
Although we’re an international company with a spirit driven by innovation, we still practice authentic, old world values.

• We act like owners and operate with integrity to build trust and close partnerships with each of our customers and suppliers.

• We are transparent and inclusive throughout our entire supply chain. We would never sell you an ingredient we wouldn’t use ourselves.

• We believe customer service ensures business success, which is why we provide each of our customers with a dedicated representative.

• We hold ourselves accountable, and invest heavily in our Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and Research & Development departments.

• We strive to be market experts. With global headquarters in Shanghai, China, and a team of dedicated product managers, we are able to quickly act on our fast paced, ever-changing market.

What Sets Shanghai Freemen Apart?
At Shanghai Freemen, we pride ourselves on providing actionable, up-to-the-minute market intelligence you simply cannot get anywhere else. Our sales and technical support staff receive in-depth training to ensure they are familiar with each product we produce and distribute. We also visit our partner factories in China to see the manufacturing process first-hand, because knowing where each product comes from and how it is made allows us to make first-hand claims to quality and reliability.

Market Intelligence
One of the biggest differences between Shanghai Freemen and other distributors our cutting-edge market intelligence. With our headquarters in Shanghai, we are only a flight, train, or car ride away from our key manufacturing partners. We don’t just hope for the best, we actually know first-hand what is happening with raw materials and how our products are manufactured.

This is a benefit to our customer in three main facets, Close Relationships, Factory Audits and Tours and Market Monitoring.

Close Relationships
Although times are changing, many factories in China still operate under the traditional Chinese business style. This can cause cultural and language barriers for many European and North American distributors, but not us. Since we’re headquartered in Shanghai, we have personal, long-standing relationships with most of our manufacturers, some for as long as 20 years. Our partner factories feel comfortable working with us and value our input.

Factory Audits and Tours
Since our offices are in China and we are able to leverage our personal relationships with our manufacturers. We are able to conduct regular facility and product audits to ensure superior quality and maintain high standards of operations. Sometimes our customers want to come to China to see firsthand how their products are made, so we routinely schedule factory tours with our customers to see the facilities with their own eyes. 

Market Monitoring
Our customers say what they most love about working with us is the money they save from our market reporting. Since we’re in China, we generally know about material limitations or potential price increases before they happen. Informing our customers through monthly marketing reports helps them make better decisions and can save them hundreds of thousands in raw material costs. If we know about a shift in the market our clients know.

Our Services and Solutions

We know our industry demands honesty, innovation, and the highest attention to quality, so we offer a unique partnership with our customers.

Providing the ingredients needed, when they are needed.

We give our clients peace of mind by assuring the best quality.

We help our customers keep ahead of market trends.

Be first to market, not first to lawsuit.

Remain competitive.

Order custom products and services on demand.

Quality Standards
When it comes to quality, we take things very seriously. Our industry requires the purest ingredients, and it is our top priority to provide the best products available. To do this, we invest heavily in our research and development and quality assurance departments.

In-house Testing

Third Party Testing

Auditing Team
We won’t put our name on an ingredient if we aren’t 100% sure of its quality. That’s why we perform audits of the manufacturers we represent several times a year.

With our location in China, it is very easy for us to perform routine audits several times a year with the manufacturers we represent. This also makes it possible for us to audit and qualify new factories.

Our Products
Shanghai Freemen is a combination of a successful history, dedicated and talented employees, highly efficient manufacturing and distribution facilities, superior partnerships all supported by our diverse product catalog. The vast product offerings we provide consists of some the highest quality products in the market, in the categories of joint health, vitamins, botanicals, amino acids, sweeteners and specialty ingredients markets. Our product portfolio is not only the foundation for our success; it is the foundation of our clients’ success.

Joint Health

Vitamins
Botanicals
Amino Acids
Sweeteners
Specialty