The enterprise was created by a group of scientists from Tomsk under the direction of Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor, Honorary Worker of Higher Professional Education of the Russian Federation, Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences Boyev Sergey Grigorievich. In various organizational forms, the enterprise has been existing for more than 20 years. In the early 90’s, in S. Boyev’s laboratory, headed by the Scientific Research Institute in Tomsk, in accordance with the program of conversion of the military industrial complex through extrabudgetary funds the works on development of technologies for processing plant and organomineral raw materials with obtaining substances for health products (supplemments, functional and specialized food products) were organized. The direction of work was chosen on the basis of a deep understanding that the production of health products and organic food is a geo-economic and geopolitical factor of Russia, which has huge reserves of fertile land without environmental footprint and huge reserves of ecologically pure medicinal wild raw materials.
Boyev Sergey Grigorievich. The founder of Visterra company.
Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor, Honorary Worker
of Higher Professional Education of the Russian Federation, Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.
Until 2000, the work of the laboratory was carried out alongside the scientific work on the Institute subject. In the late 90’s, near Lake Shira, the production of salt from the healing mineral water Lake Shira was organized. Several bottling companies in the Siberian region began bottling salt-based healing and therapeutic-table mineral water. Mineral waters of the highest quality won more than a dozen awards at various exhibitions. Unfortunately, for inexplicable reasons, Republic of Khakassia Administration banned the water intake from the lake, the reserves of which, even without sources of replenishment, were enough for several thousands years. The team had to stop working in this direction. The legal insecurity of business and the arbitrariness of officials at that time severely constrained the development of civilized business.
In 2000, Boyev S. left the post of the Director of the Institute and completely reshaped the work of the laboratory staff on the development of equipment and technologies for processing various types of natural raw materials for extracting substances for health products and for manufacturing itself. The Altai Territory was chosen for organizing of manufacturing and processing raw materials. In a picturesque place, near Altaiskoye Village of the Altai District, a unique enterprise was created (Fig. 2.). For 10 years, a factory for processing raw materials, a garage complex, workshops, refrigerated coolers, warehouses and other facilities have been built. The ownership of more than 1,000 hectares of land, including more than 750 hectares in the immediate proximity of the manufacturing site was acquired. More than 10 hectares have been transferred to industrial lands.
From 1999 to 2011, the team worked in close collaboration with Biolit Company. During this time, the technologies for high-level processing of various types of plant raw materials have been developed. The equipment was designed and the workshops for liquid and granular cosmetic products were put into operation. The plant for obtaining lipids from therapeutic mud was designed and created, as well as the site for sterilizing extracts. The technologies were successfully implemented at the Biolit enterprise, the main part of the produced substances was used in the production of Biolit products.
Since 2012, the company has focused on the production of dry extracts for health products and the development of high-performance products based on substances of our own production. Technologies of processing of vegetable and fruit-berry products with obtaining solid and dry extracts and puree are fulfilled. Formulations of natural jelly, fruit drinks and drinks based on Siberian berries have been developed. Production of seven kinds of jelly was started.
Since 2012, the company began to supply chaga and other extracts to South Korea. In the following years, export to China, Serbia, Germany, Canada, and Japan began to form.
A brief chronology of major events and developments of 1995. The technology of vacuum concentration of red deer blood has been developed.
1996 In Khakassia on the shores of Lake Shira, the production of the mineral salt of medicinal water of Lake Shira was launched. The formulations of medical and therapeutic-table mineral water have been tried and tested and according to these formulations they were bottled by several producers in Siberia.
1997 In Zmeinogorsk Town of the Altai Territory, the technology of vacuum concentration of berry juices (seaberry, chokeberry tree, black currant) has been developed.
1998 The technology for multi-stage extraction of chaga has been developed, followed by freeze-drying of the extract obtained.
1998 The technology of wet granulation of biologically active agents substances on an inert basis with an increased content of active components has been developed.
1999 Three vacuum evaporators with evaporated moisture capacity of 350, 300 and 150 liters per hour were designed and created.
1999. The workshop for the production of solid extracts from medicinal plant raw materials was launched in the village of Zonalny, Tomsk region.
1999 Beginning of collaboration with Biolit company of the city of Tomsk – deliveries of yarrow, hill-growing saltwort extracts, lake Shira salt, granulated products production.
2001 The production of solid extracts of medicinal plant raw materials in the Altaiskoe village, Altai Territory, was started.
2002 Technologies for processing fresh plant raw materials have been developed and introduced.
2004 In the concentrated extract of the May burdock root, L-asparagine with cytostatic and apoptosis-inducing potency was found. The technology of its extraction from the extract has been tried and tested.
2005 The technology was tried and tested and automatic plant of steam distillation of coniferous raw materials was created.
2006 The technology of extracting Reishi mushrooms and other fungi has been tried and tested.
2006 The technology of obtaining a group of biologically active metallo-organic complexes based on polyphenolic water extract compounds of Siberian fir was developed.
2007 The technology and equipment for sterilizing dry plant raw materials have been developed and created.
2007 The equipment was manufactured and the technology of molecular encapsulation of fat-soluble biologically active compounds in water was realized.
2007 The cultivation of medicinal raw materials such as hill-growing saltwort, burdock, common knotgrass, echinacea, ziziphora, St. John’s Wort, lady’s-mantle, prairieweed, currant, thorowax has been started on our own fields.
2009 The equipment was created and the technology of extraction of therapeutic mud and peat by multicomponent extractants was developed.
2010–2007 The project “Development of nanotechnologies for the extraction of biologically active substances from plant raw materials for the production of supplements and pharmaceuticals” was successfully carried out within the framework of the federal target program “Research and Development in Priority Directions for the Development of the Russian Science and Technology Complex for 2007-2012”.
2010 The technology was developed and the equipment for extracting fat-soluble biologically active substances from plant raw materials in flow extractors under excess pressure of the extractant in an inert medium was created. The technology of obtaining saturated oil extracts from vegetable raw materials.
2011 The technology of complex waste-free processing of fresh maral antlers has been developed.
2012–2008 The equipment for sterilization of solid extracts with scraped sterilizers with flexible adjustment of the sterilization regime and with subsequent packing of extracts in aseptic containers was developed and created.
2012 The enterprise was registered with the name of Visterra Ltd, commercial activity on production and realization of dry and solid extracts was started.
2012 The production and sale of natural jelly “Taiga health” were started.
2013 The equipment was manufactured and production of dry extracts of plant raw materials and dried berry juices was started.
2016 The technology for extraction of chaga fungi has been developed to produce an extract with a chromogenic complex up to 65%
2017 The production of products based on dry extract of chaga was launched: CHAGA Original, CHAGA Silver, CHAGA Gold, CHAGA Rōsa.
2018 – more than 70 high quality natural therapeutic products were launched.