SunWay Biotech (1271-TW) announced on August 19th that its Board has approved a strategic investment of NT$650 million in cash in exchange for 30% equity stake in Wonders Company Ltd. (Wonders). The transaction is expected to close in September and SunWay will secure one seat on Wonders’ Board. Wonders successfully introduced “Weider” health supplements to the market. The partnership leverages SunWay’s R&D and manufacturing capabilities, and Bora Group’s pharmaceutical expertise to grow domestic nutraceuticals market share and to reduce Sunway’s over-reliance on licensed brands and sub-licensing risks. The deal aims to create long-term value for shareholders as a win-win.
Maria Chen, Chairman of Wonders, together with Bobby Sheng, Chairman of SunWay, and John Pan, General Manager of SunWay, attended today’s signing ceremony. Bobby Sheng, Chairman of SunWay, stated, “The most valuable assets in the nutraceuticals market are brand awareness and channels. Both would only come via investments in marketing and time. SunWay and Wonders are strong in very different, complementary categories. Through this partnership, we look forward to building up synergies based off the U.S. brand and its market expansion operations. Weider, renowned for its instant multi-strain probiotics, has consistently topped consumer preferences in Taiwan, with monthly sales reaching tens of millions of packs. Leveraging SunWay’s R&D expertise and Bora Health’s pharmacy network, we seek to expand market share through a broader portfolio and multi-channel distribution. Last but not least, with SunWay’s new Xizhi facility nearing completion, the added benefit of cost-efficient in-house production is in the foreseeable future.”
Maria Chen, Chairman of Wonders, stated that the transaction marks a key strategic initiative jointly led by the Management teams of both companies, reflecting industry evolutions and is aligned with growth strategies. She commented, “Looking ahead, both companies will continue to operate independently while engaging in deeper technical collaboration and channel integration. By combining strengths across products, R&D and marketing, we shall strengthen competitive edges together. Wonders has long been dedicated to the probiotics sector, holding a significant market share in Taiwan. Through this partnership, we will exchange product development and supply chain capabilities to form deliver a more diverse, science-backed, and market-relevant portfolio of health supplements.”
SunWay’s R&D capability in supplements raw materials has earned strong recognition from clients. It is the sole supplier of Taiwan’s best-selling red yeast rice supplement. Backed by Bora Group’s solid pharmaceutical background, SunWay holds a first-mover advantage in formulation innovation. Ongoing export business of the Company, mainly to Europe, is steadily going up as clients add more new product designs to pipeline. The new Xizhi facility marks a key milestone enabling SunWay to build a fully integrated and scalable health supplement business, from functional ingredient development to dosage design, clinical validation, and brand management.
