Buchler GmbH

In 1858, Hermann Buchler, a very astute entrepreneur, established a quinine chemical factory in Braunschweig, Germany, which is now owned in the 5th generation by the Buchler family.  Buchler’s product portfolio later expanded to include other alkaloids such as cocaine, codeine and yohimbine, which were subsequently discontinued in the 1960s.  In 1898/1899, Professor Friedrich Giesel, the chief chemist of Buchler, developed the world’s first industrial radium extraction process and in 1901, it was the first company in the world to offer industrially manufactured radium products.

In 1963, the first Cinchona plantation in Central Africa was acquired  After over 150 years in the industry, Buchler remains Europe’s sole manufacturer of Cinchona alkaloids. Strong and long-standing relationships with our partners and loyal customers is the key to our success and the essence of our business.

Quinine was the world’s first isolated active pharmaceutical ingredient to be marketed as a remedy against malaria and quickly became the treatment of choice for the disease. Its increased popularity in the second half of the 19th century even led to a shortage of raw material sources in Latin America. Quinine was of great importance to the Europeans; an effective treatment for malaria was essential to their colonial expansion in the 19th century. They even launched several expeditions to South America to obtain seeds of trees with high quinine content.

In 1865, Manuel Incra Mamani, assistant to Charles Ledger, found trees believed to have good quinine content. Ledger sold them to the Dutch government for a sum that would today, be considered ridiculously low. The seeds of this tree were planted in Java by Benelot Moens of the National Botanical Garden in Bogor. Through the selection and breeding of Ledger’s most promising plants, Benelot Moens developed a new high yield quinine named Cinchona Ledgeriana (Moens). It remains the primary species chosen for Cinchona plantations. This new variety contained up to five times more quinine than the best South American varieties. This marked the beginning of the Dutch monopoly on Cinchona bark, and later on quinine, which lasted until 1942.

To the dismay of the Dutch, in the 1930s the Belgians managed to obtain some of the seeds and cultivated Cinchona trees in their colony in Central Africa. This paved the way for the Democratic Republic of Congo’s current domination of Cinchona bark production.

Quinine continues to be used as an anti-malarial medicine, especially for the treatment of severe forms of the disease and in cases of ineffective alternative treatments. In Europe and North America, it is also used to treat nocturnal leg cramps. Additionally, it is used as a natural flavouring agent for the unique bitter taste in tonic water and bitter lemon soft drinks and as fillers for long drinks and cocktails.