Special delivery
Susannah Millen meets Andrew Marten, co-founder of award-winning probiotic chocolate brand Ohso.
Ohso is a luxury Belgian chocolate brand that has been developed to deliver probiotics. In fact, it is clinically proven to be three times
more effective at delivering good bacteria than functional probiotic yogurt or milk drinks.
“I developed Ohso to address the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome,” explains Marten. “I was looking for a product that tastes delicious while delivering probiotics
for better gut health,” he adds.
Packed full of active biocultures that have been encapsulated in the chocolate, each bar is sized perfectly (13.5g), the company says, to provide the optimum daily amount of good bacteria to support digestive health and boost the immune system.
Ohso uses chocolate to deliver good bacteria to the gut. Protected by the chocolate and the brand’s patented micro-encapsulation process, it is claimed that the live bacteria it delivers are less affected by destructive stomach acid than milk based probiotic supplements, meaning a greater number survive the gut intact.
“We worked with one of the leading chocolate businesses in the world, Barry Callebaut, along with a specialist probiotic company,” explains Marten. “The key to our product is the micro-encapsulation of the live bacteria.
This involves a unique patented process,” he adds.
Marten and his business partner Richard Thompson launched Ohso in 2011, with the aim of revolutionising the probiotic category.
“We initially funded the business ourselves,” says Marten. “Within six months we had acquired our first investor and we now have 10,” he adds.
The range
The chocolate bars have been formulated to be rich in multiple minerals and contain just 72 calories, or 63 calories in the ‘no added sugar’ varieties. The company claims that each bar contains one billion live Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium bacteria as well as flavanols and antioxidants.
The two best sellers in the range are the Classic Belgian Chocolate and the No Added Sugar Raspberry Belgian Chocolate editions.
“We started with the two original products, Classic Belgian Chocolate and Natural Orange Belgian Chocolate and recently introduced a no added sugar range in classic, raspberry and lemon flavours,” says Marten.
In 2013, Marten was awarded the Investec Food & Drink Entrepreneur Of The Year Award at the House of Commons. Ohso has also won multiple accolades including a Great Taste 2013 Gold Star for the Natural Orange Belgian Chocolate and a Great Taste 2014 Gold Star for the No Added Sugar Raspberry Belgian Chocolate.
Other products in the range include: Classic Belgian Chocolate; No Added Sugar Belgian Chocolate; and No Added Sugar Lemon Belgian Chocolate.
In the UK, Ohso is currently stocked nationwide in outlets including: Boots; Ocado; Tesco; Holland & Barrett; Whole Foods Market; and Harvey Nichols, as well as a number of independent retailers. There is also an online subscription service.
Globally, the brand has distribution in the USA (2,000 stores), Canada (300 stores) and Australia (400 stores), predominantly in the health food retail sector.
Brand promotion
When it comes to promoting the brand, Marten and his team have a clear strategy, which is supported by an active presence on social media channels.
“We recently hired a specialist food and drink PR agency to implement a strategic communications campaign for the brand,” says Marten. “We have also partnered with double gold Olympic athlete Laura Trott,” he adds.
Ohso exhibited at Expo West in California for the second time last month. “Our presence at the show supports our distributor, Solgar, in the US in addition to being a shop window to the rest of the world,”
says Marten.
The future
Going forward, Ohso will be focusing on its core range in 2015, but there are also plans to launch a children’s range of products in May.
“The children’s range and development of the core range will take up our resources this year, but we have some exciting new product development plans for next year,”
says Marten.
“We will also look to open up in three or four new countries – including New Zealand, South Africa and Norway – in the next 12 months,” he concludes.
