Confirming the agreement today, Tom Rönnlund, Probi’s CEO described the deal as an opportunity to, “broaden our portfolio with more health areas and strengthen our position within clinically documented bacterial strains.
“At the same time, we can utilise our greater production capacity effectively and thereby contribute to higher profitability for both Probi and Blis.”
Probi now becomes Blis’ second largest shareholder after their investment, which also grants them a representative on the company’s board.
Probi says the investment will be reported as a financial investment on its balance sheet with the stake being financed through ‘liquid funds.’
The Swedish firm adds that it has a ‘medium to long-term’ perspective on its holding in Blis and has committed not to sell its shares within a twelve-month period.
‘Owner and partner’
“We are very pleased to have a company like Probi both as an owner and partner,” comments Brian Watson, CEO of Blis Technologies.
“With Probi, we get a strong partner who can offer high-quality production of our probiotic strains and who has a strong position in the American market where we see great potential for our products.
“With the capital injection from the new share issue, we will also be able to continue to develop new products with Probi.”
Blis’ probiotics range includes its two signature probiotic strains, BLIS K12 and BLIS M18, which remain at the core of all its products.
The two oral probiotic strains are said to support natural immune defences by preventing infections of the mouth and throat. They also contribute to a healthy set of teeth and gums.
BLIS K12 was originally developed into a probiotic supplement to support throat health, but the benefits of BLIS K12 have been found to be more wide-reaching as more studies have been completed.
BLIS K12 can supports the ear, nose and throat health of infants and children, and has also proved effective in improving bad breath (halitosis).
Meanwhile, BLIS M18 is a specific strain of the Streptococcus salivarius M18, bacteria, which is found naturally in the mouth and throat.
While everyone has Streptococcus salivarius bacteria, only a very few have the specific beneficial BLIS M18 strain which crowds out bad bacteria.
“We aim to initiate production of Blis products from Q4 this year,” Rönnlund adds. “In parallel, we will roll out Blis bacterial strains in our portfolio during the autumn.”
Blis recently published two studies that investigated the effectiveness of BLIS M18 on black teeth staining.
The effects of BLIS M18 and its cell-free supernatant were found to be effective in controlling the action of chromogenic bacteria that cause black dental stains.
Probi & Oriflame
The agreement represents Probi’s second deal this month after terms and conditions were confirmed with Oriflame to co-launch a product containing Probi's Lactoplantibacillus plantarum 299v.
The Swedish beauty and wellness brand said this would be the skincare specialist's, "first foray into the gut health sphere as it looked to further expand on the popularity of its general 'wellness' products."
Oriflame plan to launch its first product in the Autumn of 2021 with a continued roll-out in the Wellness by Oriflame markets during 2022 and onwards.
