Ellegaard Göttingen Minipigs A/S was founded by Mr Lars Ellegaard based on the idea that scientists in biomedical research were in need of a better non-rodent research model. Such a model had to have many similarities to humans, be small and easy to handle and have a clean and known health status.

In 1992, Ellegaard Göttingen Minipigs A/S entered into a licensing agreement with the Georg-August-University in Göttingen and the first colony of barrier-bred, microbiologically defined Göttingen Minipigs was obtained through Caesarean section to establish the high quality of their health standard. Ellegaard set up a multiplier herd and has the exclusive world-wide right to sell Göttingen Minipigs.

We received our first full AAALAC accreditation in 1998 and have maintained it ever since.

International agreements
In 2003, Ellegaard Göttingen Minipigs A/S flew a minipig herd to the United States where the Göttingen Minipig is now bred and distributed by Marshall BioResources. In late 2010, Ellegaard Göttingen Minipigs A/S concluded an agreement with Oriental Yeast Co. in Japan. Oriental Yeast Co. distributes the Göttingen Minipig in Japan and it is expected that the company by 2012 will also breed the Göttingen Minipig for the Japanese market.