AXIOM, a leading French swine genetics company, introduced its new Chinese brand “Aike Xingmu” at the 2024 China Animal Husbandry Expo. Formed from the merger of GENE+ and ADN, AXIOM has rebranded to enhance its market presence in China. The company acquired Choice Genetics (CG) to consolidate its leadership in France and expand internationally. In China, AXIOM established a core breeding farm in Chongqing and integrated CG’s operations. AXIOM focuses on swine sales, boar semen supply, and breeding services, aiming to be a top three specialized swine breeding company in China within five years.
Familiar faces, new look.
At the record-breaking 2024 China Animal Husbandry Expo, a new international swine genetics company named “Aike Xingmu” attracted countless attendees.
Industry insiders familiar with French swine genetics recognize that this major French pig breeding company is making significant strides in the Chinese market with a new brand and team image, promising further enhancement and unification of its localization efforts.
Aike Xingmu, the Chinese phonetic translation of AXIOM, was established from the merger of GENE+ and ADN in 2016. Last year, AXIOM introduced its new Chinese name, reflecting its commitment to scientific principles and supporting China’s livestock revitalization.
Besides the apt Chinese name, AXIOM showcased a revamped logo and visual identity (VI) at the expo. The new logo features more robust lettering and an easier-to-read English interpretation (“French Genetics”), highlighting AXIOM’s undisputed leadership in French swine genetics and its global vision.
Behind the Rebranding: Team Enhancement
The exhibition saw the presence of AXIOM Group’s International Business Director, Ludovic Thomas, and the recent addition of employees from Choice Genetics (CG) China, acquired by AXIOM. The newly formed AXIOM team leveraged the expo to recruit talent.
CG is well-known in China. Its parent company is the world’s second-largest breeding group, Grimaud, and China TECH-BANK was once its second-largest shareholder.. Their collaboration led to the creation of Shiji Biology, a leading specialized swine breeding company in China.
With the merger of these two French swine genetics companies, what sparks will fly with the world’s largest pork market, China?
Consolidating Leadership
In August 2023, AXIOM announced a milestone operation – the acquisition of CG, a well-known French swine genetics company. The final agreement was reached by the end of December, giving AXIOM majority ownership of CG’s companies in France, Poland, and Brazil from December 20, 2023.
Ludovic told AgriPost that AXIOM’s acquisition aimed to consolidate its market leadership in France and complete its international business puzzle outside France.
Prior to the merger, AXIOM and CG’s combined market share in the French swine market was about 60%, with the restructured market share still exceeding 50%, making them the absolute industry leader in France.
Internationally, CG’s addition significantly expanded AXIOM’s business footprint, particularly in South America, where AXIOM had little presence before. Even in China, where CG had no subsidiaries, its technical service personnel have now bolstered AXIOM’s Chinese team.
Unified Brand Operations
Starting in April 2024, AXIOM ceased using the Choice Genetics brand worldwide, with AXIOM (Aike Xingmu) becoming the group’s sole identifier. The CG swine lines are being integrated into AXIOM’s breeding population.
“Breeding requires continuous innovation and evolution. AXIOM has integrated over 20 breeding projects before, and this is a natural process,” explained Ludovic. “We believe that many years from now, we’ll be proud to have had CG as part of our journey.”
AXIOM’s history dates back to GENE+, founded in 1989. In 2016, GENE+ merged with ADN to form AXIOM, with shareholders including AGRIAL and TERRENA, France’s top two agricultural groups.
In China, Ludovic stated that the new AXIOM team will fully take over the existing and new business from the two former companies. All China-related business will be entirely managed and operated by the Chinese team, with full support from the French headquarters. “Especially for CG’s previous agreements, whether verbal or written, we will retain them and strive to provide better services.”
Moreover, he emphasized that the French headquarters will strengthen collaboration with the Chinese team at all levels to enhance support for the Chinese company. “Localization of operations ensures that demand comes directly from customers.”
Ludovic pointed out that the swine brands are backed by breeding populations and swine lines. The integration of newly acquired lines not only enlarges the breeding population but also improves swine performance.
With the international business map now complete, AXIOM’s next development strategy is to localize overseas production, such as building boar stations in South America through the Brazilian subsidiary, to better meet customer needs by understanding the real market. “Only with localized production can we better serve the global market,” Ludovic said.
Deepening Roots in the Chinese Market
AXIOM’s localization in China began in 2021, with the establishment of AXIOM’s core breeding farm in Chongqing’s Dazu District, invested by Zhuhengheng Ecological Agriculture Technology (Chongqing) Co., Ltd. This project, with a planned inventory of 2,400 great-grandparent sows and a total investment of CNY 520 million, is AXIOM’s first core breeding farm outside France. The complete introduction of breeding pigs is expected to arrive in Chongqing by the end of this year.
Furthermore, the two parties have agreed to share risks and benefits through a series of cooperation agreements, covering comprehensive cooperation in swine breeding, production management, and market sales. Zhuhengheng will become AXIOM’s “breeder” in China, and the future production of breeding pigs will be jointly sold by Zhuhengheng employees and the AXIOM sales team under the AXIOM brand.
AXIOM China General Manager Dr. Huang Zhiquan introduced that the company’s business in China includes three aspects: swine sales, boar semen supply, and breeding services.
Specifically, future domestic swine supply will mainly come from the Dazu core farm, but if customers need it, the company will continue to import directly from France. On the basis of exporting about 20,000 doses of frozen semen to China annually, AXIOM launched cross-border fresh semen supply this year, with a delivery time from French farms to Chinese farms controlled within four days.
Dr. Huang revealed that the conception rate of the first batch of cross-border fresh semen applications reached 100%. “The market demand for this fresh semen is expected to grow because it is the most efficient and cheapest way to obtain the best genetic resources.”
Additionally, based on agreements with customers, AXIOM will provide corresponding “accompanied” services. Previous customers include giants like Charoen Pokphand and Haid Group. At this expo, the company also signed a cooperation agreement with Xingjiang Muge, covering swine imports, subsequent breeding, and technical services.
Embracing Future Growth
Dr. Huang reported that the swine exported to China in recent years have received excellent market feedback, particularly for their outstanding maternal qualities, requiring no manual intervention from farrowing to weaning. This is a boon for the increasingly challenging pig farming and high labor costs in China and globally, allowing less experienced farmers to successfully breed pigs and fully realize their genetic potential.
However, he emphasized that AXIOM always maintains balanced breeding in four directions: maternal qualities, feed conversion ratio, pig health, and meat quality, and can enhance traits based on customer needs. “This is like an outstanding student who got into Tsinghua or Peking University; their learning is well-rounded, and at least one subject is very strong,” Dr. Huang metaphorically explained.
“With several batches of breeding pigs arriving in China by special flights within this year, AXIOM’s business in China will see significant growth. Our goal is to rank among the top three specialized swine breeding companies in China within the next five years,” Ludovic stated.
Last month, during the Chinese leaders’ visit to France, the two countries issued a joint statement on agricultural exchange and cooperation, reaffirming the vital role of agriculture in both countries and in bilateral relations. As China and France celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations, agricultural cooperation continues to deepen.
Reflecting China’s half-share of global pork production, Ludovic said AXIOM plans to sell about 50% of its breeding pigs to China. “This is another obvious goal.”
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