HARVESTER
Founded in 1957, Harvester Trading Co., Ltd. imports and represents Western medicines and medical devices. From two people and two principals, we grew into a healthcare company of more than 400 colleagues serving hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies across Taiwan.
Our belief
Healing the world with good medicine
The driving force behind our growth has been chairman and founder Mr. C.S. Cheng, whose industry and government associations expanded Harvester from two international principals in 1957 to dozens of market-leading manufacturers.
In 1993 Harvester jointly invested with Shanghai Tianfeng Pharmaceutical and Ireland’s Elan to establish He Feng Pharmaceutical in Pudong, Shanghai — a GMP-oriented plant for finished doses, APIs, medical nutrition, and skincare.
On this foundation we will keep working for a healthier tomorrow.
A market leader that lowers the risk of launching in Taiwan and China.
Harvester was founded in 1957 and builds long-term relationships with pharmaceutical principals entering the Taiwan and China healthcare markets. Close contact with government bodies such as the Department of Health, together with an unmatched sales network, reduces uncertainty when you launch in a new market. You can expect a full, flexible service from a specialist with strong physical distribution and deep market understanding.
Harvester has long been among Taiwan’s leading healthcare companies by turnover. Sales grew more than 10% a year over a five-year stretch, reaching US$80 million in 2000 and positioning us as a major pharmaceutical player on the island.
The character of a company is shaped by its leaders. Chairman and founder Mr. C.S. Cheng’s work in building close industry and government associations took Harvester from two international principals in 1957 to numerous market-leading manufacturers and a staff of over 400.
The main force in Taiwan’s pharmaceutical market is government regulation, chiefly through the Department of Health. Principals need a partner with close understanding of, and contact with, the DOH — well placed to act early when new rules appear. During the Asian financial crisis, Taiwan’s market continued to post healthy growth.
We became a leading healthcare company in Taiwan by introducing innovative sales and marketing — including being the first to bring package selling to the market — and by building a comprehensive network with the largest customer base in hospitals and drugstores. Careful product and market selection has given us a leading position in every category we enter.
Financial stability is a hallmark of our success. We have maintained strong finances and a zero-debt philosophy. Marketing in Taiwan is costly; a successful distributor needs the backing to build brand reputation, and a financially strong partner can help insulate principals from cyclical downturns, payment defaults, and bad debt.
A balanced, non-competing portfolio across pharmaceutical and medical products.
Harvester is organized into business groups and 17 divisions, supported by a 200-person sales force. Every division runs as a profit center with an open-door policy that encourages communication between management and employees — so we adopt your global strategy quickly and support after-sales service.
Operations are streamlined across subsidiaries with branches in northern, central, and southern Taiwan. Each branch maintains three sales teams covering hospitals, general practitioners, and drug stores. Distribution centers throughout Taiwan guarantee on-time delivery.
China’s potential is too large to ignore, yet it poses risk for the uninitiated. Geographically close and early to move, Harvester partnered in 1993 with Elan and Shanghai Medical and Pharmaceutical Company to offer OEM manufacturing, sales and marketing, and physical distribution. He Feng Pharmaceutical in Pudong was founded to produce and sell GMP-standard finished drugs, APIs, medical nutrition, and healthcare skincare — carrying Taiwan marketing experience into China and, from there, toward a global network.
We were the first company to introduce package selling in Taiwan, with a successful Patient Diabetic Management Program. Fairs and ongoing education bring us closer to end users and expand market potential for our principals.
We remain committed to healthcare and will keep investing in the Taiwan market while developing our healthcare business in China.