Probiotic drink start-up PERKii has raised $3 million to take its science-backed drink technology to the US.
PERKii beverages use ProGel technology - which was spun out of the University of Queensland - which enables a probiotic to be encapsulated in a natural ingredient, protecting it in juice or water so it can make its way through the acidic environment of the stomach.
PERKii closed a $2m investment round from its existing shareholders, led by research commercialisation fund Uniseed, which follows on investment of an additional $1m from Advance Queensland Business Development Fund.
The Uniseed funds were secured from Uniseed-managed investors ($1.51m), angel investors and high net worth individuals ($574k).
PERKii said the investment will fund its continued rapid local market expansion and establish production of the company’s technology in the US.
PERKii launched its low-calorie, no fermentation probiotic drink range to market in mid 2016, supported by the early-stage backing of Uniseed, Brisbane Angels and UniQuest
The PERKii range is now sold in over 2000 stores across Australia and New Zealand, and includes four natural fruit flavours, with each bottle containing 1 billion CFUs (colony forming units) of the clinically demonstrated Lactobacillus Casei 431 [LC431] probiotic and just 37 calories.
“PERKii and ProGel are a really exciting Australian research commercialisation success story,” said Uniseed CEO and PERKii chairman Peter Devine.
The company recently appointed Manassen Foods Australia as its national distributor, and products are being rolled out in Coles, Woolworths, Caltex, Zambreros and major independent grocery stores in Australia, and Countdown stores in New Zealand.
CEO of PERKii CEO Matthew Kowal said, “While people are now increasingly aware of the benefits of probiotics, the format and the performance in the digestive tract of existing products have been limited – up until now.
“Using the patented ProGel technology, PERKii makes probiotics better. We coat the probiotic in natural ingredients to provide protection through the stomach, creating a delicious, low calorie and fermentation-free drink.”
