Health and Wellbeing, the company that developed the successful MANFLU product range has marked a new development milestone by securing distribution deals with Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Amazon, and independent pharmacies as it prepares to launch its second product range, the pregnancy nutrition brand “Mumkind”.
The company was founded in 2011 when Jonathan Evans launched the MANFLU Hot or Shot comfort drink. Funding has enabled the business to expand the product range available to include lozenges, instant energy tablets, and the new flagship launch of “MANFLU Daily Defence”, with products now available in Boots, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Waitrose, Lloyds and pharmacies nationwide.
Health and Wellbeing have also appointed Ursula Hirschberg as operation manager, who will oversee the company’s move to new business premises in Newton-le-Willows.
Ursula has over 20 years’ experience in procurement and operations, and previously worked for a company specialising in gluten-free foods. Her appointment will allow the company to focus on new opportunities and bringing new products to market.
Ursula said:
“I feel very proud to be part of the team at Health and Wellbeing Brands. The company has experienced significant growth and has huge potential for the future. I’m looking forward to supporting the team as we continue to bring new products to market.”
Jonathan added:
“We are delighted to welcome Ursula to the team. She is highly experienced and with her support, we already have some exciting plans in place for the future. For example, the launch of our Mumkind product range – a new concept aimed at mums-to-be and busy new mums whose needs are not being met by current offerings. It will allow us to broaden our target market. We plan to take advantage of new opportunities and see plenty of scope to achieve our growth targets and move into the premier league of healthcare companies.”
All of these developments have been realised thanks to the final round of a £500,000 phased investment from the North West Fund for Venture Capital, managed by Enterprise Ventures.
Will Clark of Enterprise Ventures, which manages The North West Fund for Venture Capital, said:
“MANFLU is well on the way to becoming a nationally recognised brand and we expect that Mumkind will enjoy the same success. We are pleased that we have been able to support the business at each stage of its growth.
“With £24.2 million invested and £9.3 million raised in additional funding, The North West Fund for Venture Capital is clearly playing an important role in the region’s economic revival.”
Words: Peter Cribley