Sales of probiotics fell slightly in 2020 mainly due to Covid-19. Latin America is one of the regions in the world where medical marketing is most established but due to the pandemic only 30-40% of face-to-face meetings with doctors could be held.

The five largest countries in Latin America were in the pandemic’s global top-ten list for most of 2020 with lockdowns and extensive restrictions.

BioGaia’s sales in Latin America moved up from third place among probiotic companies to second place. There was a double-digit increase in sales mainly due to new launches and intensified online activities. BioGaia also launched products in two new markets: Ecuador (the third largest probiotics market in Latin America) and Uruguay. We also launched Protectis drops with vitamin D and BioGaia Gastrus in many countries.

Iván García
Regional Director i Latin America

Born in Mexico, lives in Miami, USA

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“Together with our LatAm partners we arranged presentation training for doctors, made 14 digital launches and held over 50 webinars during the year. BioGaia Protectis with vitamin D is now available in nearly all markets, for example,” says Iván García, Regional Director Latin America. “Another very satisfying milestone was the registration of our vitamin D drops in Argentina. We look forward to launching our products with our new partner Ethical Nutrition.”

BioGaia’s partners also increased their investments in social media in many markets, such as Chile and Mexico. To support and complement their digital strategy, BioGaia launched its website in Spanish in the middle of 2020.

“Probiotic sales fell in Brazil, the largest probiotics market in Latin America, but BioGaia’s sales rose thanks to our partner’s Aché’s swift digital transition and major investments,” declares Cristián Contreras R-T, Vice President Latin America. Among the six largest probiotic brands, BioGaia’s products were the only ones with increased sales in 2020. “We expanded the Protectis portfolio by launching drops in a 10ml package which made a strong contribution to growth,” concludes Cristián.

Mexico is Latin America’s second-largest probiotics market and was the only one that grew in 2020. BioGaia’s sales rose more than the market mainly due to good sales of Protectis drops and the successful launch of Prodentis / ProD by our new partner Laboratorios Grisi.