Let me ask you a question – would you go to any dentist in any town for your routine check-up? Are you happy to go to any hairdresser who has an appointment? The answer will be no! – we do business with those we like know and trust!
As customers we want to know if we can ‘like know and trust’ the companies we buy from so in this series we ask the person behind some of my favourite natural and organic companies to step out into the spotlight
It’s the turn of Barry Smith from Symprove
Tell us about yourself and your company? How did you get started?
I am Barry Smith, basic training/history for me was as a Military Nurse in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and first aid instructor before leaving the service to move into farming, market gardening and livestock. Twenty years later, we became the largest sweetcorn growers in the UK, delivering up to 1.5k boxes of sweetcorn a night, to every major UK market in the country, at the same time we were running a Beef Unit, and it was working with livestock that led me initially into the idea of a high quality clean feed for animals – from this clean feed of germinated grain, using a bacterial cocktail to pickle them the vets we worked with saw the success of the feed on the livestock’s health and the Symprove idea was born – the process has been repeatedly refined and perfected until we had an exact replicable product for human use, which is extract of germinated barley and the four bacteria that are declared at the right count, all of this is outsourced quality assured from a full GMP accredited company.
Why natural / organic / sustainable?
We are natural, because it is essential that alternative technologies are safe and naturally derived and most importantly, they have a level of measured efficacy, and are developed to support the general health of the population and to further negate the overuse of antibiotics, which has been squandered and needs to be preserved for as long as possible as our emergency backstop.
What’s your USP? What sets you apart from your competitors?
Our unique delivery system is our USP – Symprove camouflages the bacterial cocktail past the rigours of the stomach, allowing it to successfully establish within the intestine, and most importantly the outcome/benefit can be measured at full clinical standards, to be statistically significant and published in peer reviewed medical journals.
What kind of feedback you have received from clients?
The feedback from our clients, is what drives us on a daily basis – we receive testimonials, and reviews daily, regular tear-jerkers and the passion we hear from our customers and the change they have experienced to the digestive issues by using Symprove cannot be underestimated.
What’s the next big launch / project coming up for you?
The next big launches will be publication in peer review paper for a significant result in reducing inflammation in IBD, followed by publication in peer review paper for use of Symprove with Diverticulosis, announcement in the New Year for two further NHS studies to commence in long term use of Symprove for Ulcerative Colitis and Acute Diverticular Disease at King’s College Hospital, London.
What’s your big dream?
The big dream is beginning to happen, slowly, slowly the medical fraternity are understanding that a natural food supplement can have a benefit to the nation’s health. Part of our dream would also be able to tell our consumers of our benefits direct, which we are currently unable to do due to the regulations in place.
Where can we find your products ?
Symprove is sold online, direct by calling into our HQ in Farnham, or through various health food and wholefood shops across the country and online retailers also.