Mass Production for Probiotics Drink

(Post: English)
"Dave Tabaczynski is worried about your innards. Most people, he says, don't have enough of the benign bacteria in their guts that research suggests aids digestion and immune function."

A 38-year-old Babson MBA and veteran of several biotech companies, Tabaczynski abandoned a genetics degree at the University of Pennsylvania in 2006 to start Mass Probiotics.

The Groton (Mass.) drink company hopes to tap into growing consumer demand for products with live bacteria - a market that some estimate could reach $20 billion globally by 2010.

The company contracted a California plant to make its flavored water, Probiotic Health Daily, in two varieties: Berry Balance and Citrus Boost.

Tabaczynski expects the first batch to ship in February to specialty and natural food stores in Canada and the U.S., particularly in California, and he eventually hopes to sell to chains like Whole Foods.

To get this far, he and his three partners have relied on $288,000 raised from friends and family, angels, a Babson business plan competition, and their own pockets.

The partners are also working for free.

Source: BusinessWeek