What is the innovation?
PERKii Probiotics delivers live and protected probiotics, in a refreshing water-based drink with a delicious splash of natural flavour. With only 26 calories and just one and a half teaspoons of sugar from apples, PERKii is leading the way in beverages. Microgels are tiny natural beads that encapsulate the probiotics in PERKii to ensure its survival through the acidic stomach environment, to the lower digestive system, where the probiotics actually do their work.
What benefits does it bring?
PERKii uses a patent technology from University of Queensland that encapsulates probiotics, allowing them to survive through stomach acids, to deliver more good to the gut. It also has the ability to control the fermentation process, allowing PERKii to provide probiotics in innovative, non-bitter, non-carbonated formats with great taste. PERKii probiotics live longer on shelf and therefore provide a better solution for the everyday consumer.
What commercial success and/or benefit to society has it achieved?
PERKii has been ranged in 1,000 stores nationally, including Woolworth Metro, the major IGA chains and THR1VE gut health food restaurants.
What lessons learnt can you share?
As an innovative and category first, we have had to learn how to communicate to the consumer, better delivering our message around what they care about and associate with. As a consumer good, the biggest development has been good distribution partnership and working hard with our partners to have the drink in the places that people want to buy us.