Local MP Kit Malthouse visit Optibac HQ

We were proud to welcome our local MP, Kit Malthouse, Conservative MP for North West Hampshire, to our head office last Friday (19th February). Soraya met Mr Malthouse late last year at the House of Commons, at an event organised by our trade association, the Health Food Manufacturer's Association (the HFMA). We were delighted that Mr Malthouse was keen to visit us after hearing about our continued expansion and to celebrate our growth as a local business. Our family-run business, based in Andover, has more than doubled in staff numbers since 2012. We can now boast of a total workforce of 45 people, and in fact have two vacancies currently open for anyone wishing to join our cheerful, health-focused team! In the last few years, it feels like we've grown as quickly as our friendly bacteria can multiply, so it was great to have a local MP acknowledge our success by taking the time to visit us.

Mr Malthouse was given the full tour around our new premises at Weyhill, just outside of Andover, which feels far removed from the small warehouse from which we started. Mr Malthouse spent time learning more about our business, how it's grown and our plans for the future, as well as making time to meet the team and learn about their job roles.

We gave the MP two of our daily best sellers; Optibac Probiotics ‘For every day’ and ‘For every day EXTRA Strength’; so he can try them out for himself!

“I very much enjoyed my visit to Optibac Probiotics. I love to see a local business which is growing sustainably and successfully. I learnt a lot about probiotics on my visit and gained a greater understanding of some of the challenges they face, such as the EU Nutrition & Health Claims Regulations, as well as the more general issues facing the health foods industry.” - Kit Malthouse

Our managing director and co-founder, Jalal also commented on Mr Malthouse's visit:

‘It was an honour to have our local MP Kit Malthouse visit, and a big morale boost for everyone. We’re very proud of our team and it was great for them all to be recognised for their contributions.’ – Jalal Janmohamed

Kit Malthouse MP said he left feeling much more aware of the wonders of friendly bacteria.