Founder and co-CEO of Biochem, Eckhard Thölke, steps down after 38 Years. The company’s leadership will continue with co-CEO’s Dr. Alexander Grafe and Dr. Heiko Greimann.
Biochem, an innovator of feed additives and nutritional supplements, has announced the retirement of founder and co-CEO Eckhard Thölke. Thölke founded Biochem in 1986 with a vision. Thus, “Feed Safety for Food Safety®” was born. Biochem has grown into a business with over 370 employees and sales in more than 80 countries. Biochem’s leadership remains with co-CEOs Dr. Alexander Grafe and Dr. Heiko Greimann.
“It has been an honor to be a part of Biochem’s leadership for the past 38 years,” stated Eckhard 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 Dr. Grafe and Dr. Greimann.”
Thölke has served as CEO since the company’s founding in 1986. Dr. Heiko 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. Dr. Greimann was joined by Dr. Alexander Grafe in 2011, and the trio has led Biochem through a period of significant growth and innovation to become one of the leaders 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 Dr. 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.