A healthcare products manufacturer has secured £2.5 million in new funding from the firm behind Lucozade and Ribena.
Birmingham-based Rem3dy Health has agreed the deal with Japanese consumer goods giant Suntory to support its plans to target markets in Asia and also the development of new technologies.
The Digbeth-based company uses 3D printing technology to produce bespoke gummy sweets containing multiple vitamins based on the individual needs of each customer.
The sweets, manufactured under the company's Nourished brand, are produced at the firm's base in Floodgate Street, with customers choosing seven different vitamins per sweet from a list of 40 options.
After launching the Birmingham operation in autumn 2019 followed by entry to the US market, the company is now viewing Asia as a key target region for expansion and a long-term strategic partnership with Suntory will be a key to the firm's plans.
In its market research, Rem3dy Health said it had identified that Japanese consumers had a particular focus on supplements that could aid relieving menopause symptoms, weight management and appearance. It now plans to develop localised flavours of its products such as yuzu, lychee, and chai.
Suntory specialises in drinks and other packaged consumer goods and owns or is a shareholder of Jim Beam, Schweppes, Lucozade and Orangina among many other brands across the world.
This latest deal will bring together Rem3dy Health's 3D-printing technology with Suntory's own health company in Asia.
Rem3dy Health founder Melissa Snover said: "I am absolutely delighted to be partnering with Suntory to bring truly personalised nutrition to the Japanese market in 2023.
"We are honoured to work with a global leader of consumer goods which also shares our ethos for sustainability, innovation and quality.
"Suntory's deep understanding and expertise of the Asian market will enable Rem3dy Health to expand into a part of the world which is passionate about health and wellness and deliver tailor-made, convenient and delicious nutrition to its masses."
Ms Snover, who originally hails from New York, previously built up and sold Lancashire-based Goody Good Stuff, a range of natural, vegetarian gummy sweets, to Chewits owner Cloetta in 2013.
In early 2020, she secured more than £2 million in seed funding for Rem3dy Health, which was said to be the largest-ever seed funding round in the UK by a woman, and followed this up the following year with a further £7.9 million investment round.
Suntory managing executive officer's Masuo Kawasaki added: "The innovative brand Nourished creates new types of products that utilise 3D printing to create personalised gummies that allow consumers to easily meet their nutritional goals.
"I believe that the innovativeness of Nourished and its new ways of taking nutrition can meet the health needs of consumers around the world."
