The company behind the successful MANFLU product range has marked a new milestone in its development.
Health and Wellbeing Brands has secured distribution deals with Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Amazon and independent pharmacies for the launch of its second product range Mumkind, a pregnancy nutrition brand. It is also gearing up its operation with a move to new premises in Newton-le-Willows and the appointment of Ursula Hirschberg as Operations Manager.
These latest developments have been made possible by the final round of a £500,000 phased investment from The North West Fund for Venture Capital which is managed by Enterprise Ventures.
Health and Wellbeing Brands was founded four years ago when Jonathan Evans launched MANFLU Hot or Shot comfort drink. The funding has enabled the company to expand its product range to include MANFLU Lozzers, MANFLU Instant Energy tablets and new flagship launch MANFLU Daily Defence. MANFLU products are available in Boots, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Waitrose, Lloyds and pharmacies nationwide.
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.
Jonathan Evans said: “Mumkind is 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 continue to explore new opportunities and see plenty of scope to achieve our growth targets and move into the premier league of healthcare companies.”
Will Clark of Enterprise Ventures, which manages The North West Fund for Venture Capital, said: “MANFLU is well on the way become 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 £22.8m invested and £8m raised in additional funding, The North West Fund for Venture Capital is clearly playing an important role in the region’s economic revival.”
Launched in 2010, The North West Fund for Venture Capital is part of the £155m North West Fund, which provides funding for SMEs in the region and is financed jointly by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank.