Originating from research at The University of Queensland, PERKii is set to change how we take probiotics. Currently, yogurt, fermented foods, or probiotic capsules are the go-to for a dose of good bacteria. PERKii, probiotic water, provides this health boost on the go. We spoke to PERKii CEO Matt Kowal about his experiences commercializing university research.
What is your health innovation? What does it aim to do?
Encapsulated Probiotics — delivering more probiotics to the gut with a better, low sugar, non-bitter taste.
How do you celebrate and showcase your successes? Who is the first person you tell?
The team, so we can share in our success and growth. Then my wife.
What challenges have you come up against in developing your health innovation? What motivated you to keep going?
Getting a great product on the shelf and educating people is hard in the drinks business. Competitors and an unstructured route to market for the independents make it hard to simply get the product in-store. We knew we had a product that people loved (they keep telling us) and a surrounding team that was committed to positive partnerships and development — together we knew we had what it would take.
Photo - PERKii is a probiotic fruit drink
What is one thing the public could do to help your innovation to succeed?
Look for it, ask for it, taste, and tell everyone how much better it is once you tried our armour-plated probiotics and refreshing bottles of PERKii.
What are the benefits of developing your innovation in Australia?
It’s a challenging market for fresh (chilled) products so we know that we can really test our market offering against logistics, brand, and educated habits before taking on the world.
What is the next step for your innovation?
Great distribution and an increased awareness campaign. More knowledge and access will allow people to enjoy PERKii every day.
PERKii just partnered with Manassen Foods Australia. By the end of the month, you will find PERKii in the fridges of Caltex service stations. To find out what is next be sure to follow PERKii on Health Horizon.