With support from the R&D Law, Desert King triples its research team and adds a forestry division
The Desert King innovation strategy focuses on research, sustainability, and biotechnology to strengthen the company’s impact worldwide.
The backing of this instrument allowed Desert King’s Chilean subsidiary to strengthen its innovation strategy: its research and development area multiplied, and a forestry team dedicated to the domestication of quillay was incorporated, ensuring a sustainable and globally competitive model.
In September 2025, Leandro Padilla, R&D Manager at Desert King Chile, emphasized that the public policy promoted by Corfo has been key to scaling applied research projects. Since its university origins at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso in the 1990s, the company has evolved into a global leader in the production of Quillaja saponaria extracts, with applications ranging from mining to the pharmaceutical industry.
From its early steps in the food industry, Desert King progressively expanded its portfolio into high-impact sectors such as cosmetics, agriculture, mining, and, more recently, human and animal health through the development of vaccine adjuvants. The common thread has always been applied research and the ability to scale industrial processes with international standards of traceability and sustainability.
One of the company’s major milestones has been the implementation of a quillay domestication program, initiated two decades ago, which reduced pressure on native forests and ensured a more homogeneous supply of raw material. This long-term vision was complemented by the certification of innovation projects, opening new opportunities and accelerating internal learning.
“The effect was clear: our research team grew from four people to 14, and we added a forestry group of five specialists,” explained Padilla. According to the executive, the combination of market dynamics and innovation incentives made it possible to carry out more projects, explore uncertain areas, and reinforce competitive advantages against national and international players.
In this way, Desert King has consolidated a model that unites science, sustainability, and business strategy. A path that began in Chilean university laboratories and today has global impact, with biotechnological solutions that carry the quillay’s seal across multiple industries.
