We started with starter cultures for the dairy industry. Today we develop and produce private-label probiotic supplements for brands across Europe and beyond: strain selection, formulation, production and documentation under one project owner, from 60,000 capsules or 300,000 stick sachets.
Vitamins and minerals sit still in a capsule. Live bacteria do not. Moisture, heat and oxygen reduce the number of living cells from the day of production to the last day of shelf life, and the number on your label has to be true on that last day, not on the first.
That is why probiotic manufacturing is about stability first and filling second. We design every product backwards from the end of shelf life: which strains, how much overage (extra cells added to make up for losses), which limit for water activity (free moisture in the product), which capsule and which pack keep the declared count on target.
Most contract manufacturers treat probiotics as just another powder. We come from the microbiome world. The Problife group spent years supplying probiotic starter cultures to major dairy producers, where live cultures are delivered at industrial scale against a specification and there is no tolerance for failure.
We choose from a characterised collection of more than 2,000 strains, with genetically identified species and a technical data sheet for every strain. You can also bring your own or a branded strain.
Single-strain or multi-strain products, premixes for your own production, and combinations with prebiotic fibres, vitamins, minerals or plant extracts.
Overage, moisture control and packaging are set together, so the declared count is built to hold until the last day of shelf life.
Blending, encapsulation, stick-pack filling, packaging and quality-control (QC) release at the certified site in Bulgaria that produces the Problife group’s own probiotic products. Every batch leaves with a Certificate of Analysis.
EU-compliant label text and claims wording, the finished-product specification, batch records and an audit file for your customers and authorities.
Four kinds of “biotic” ingredient, four very different manufacturing problems. The right choice depends on your format, your market and how the product will be stored.
| Type | What it is | Declared as | Handling | Typical formats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live lactic acid bacteria & bifidobacteria | Freeze-dried living cells, e.g. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species | CFU per dose, valid to end of shelf life | Sensitive to moisture, heat and oxygen. Needs a very dry blend (low water activity) and a protective pack. | Capsules, delayed-release capsules, sticks, sachets |
| Spore-forming bacteria | Bacillus and related species that persist as dormant spores | CFU per dose | Far more tolerant of heat and moisture than lactobacilli. | Tablets, gummies, selected foods |
| Heat-treated (tyndallised) cells | Cells inactivated by repeated gentle heating | Number of cells per dose | No live cells to lose. Storage at room temperature. | Capsules, tablets, powders, foods |
| Postbiotic: MaestroBiome 01 | Inactivated biomass and metabolites from a fermentation with two strains, one after the other | Milligrams per dose (standard 100 mg) | Room temperature, 36-month shelf life. Disperses in water and tolerates processing. | Capsules, gummies, drinks, dairy, bakery · applications |
One project owner on our side from the first call to repeat production. Typical timelines, agreed per project.
Your positioning, target markets, format, price point and first volume. A short call or a few lines by email is enough to start.
Strain proposal, dose per serving, overage and a written specification with transparent costing.
A pilot batch and samples for your approval: appearance, fill weight, taste where relevant, and lab tests.
EU label text, claims wording and the stability programme are agreed before the first commercial batch.
First full production run, packaging, QC release and the Certificate of Analysis, with your documentation file.
Materials planned ahead against your forecast, so repeat production runs faster.
The standard home for live cultures: low moisture, a precise dose and stability that is easy to prove. Delayed-release capsules are designed to hold their content through the acidic stomach.
Single-serve powders, often a probiotic combined with a fibre. A multi-layer foil pack with a high moisture barrier protects the cultures.
Pressure and heat during tablet pressing are part of the stability plan. Robust strains and spore-formers work best here.
Water and cooking temperatures are hard on lactobacilli. Spore-forming strains or a postbiotic are the usual routes to a gummy that keeps its declared count.
Wherever baking, pasteurisation or a long ambient shelf life is involved, a postbiotic such as MaestroBiome 01 is the practical choice.
At least 60,000 capsules or 300,000 stick sachets per product. Other probiotic formats, bulk cultures and premixes are quoted on request.
Finished probiotic supplements are made at the site in Bulgaria certified to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) and HACCP, where the Problife group’s own probiotic products are produced. Bulk cultures are fermented and freeze-dried in China, and our postbiotic MaestroBiome 01 is made in Italy under GMP.
That is what the specification is built for. We set the declared count, the overage, the limit for water activity (free moisture) and the packaging together and agree them in writing before production. The Certificate of Analysis confirms each batch against that specification.
Yes, as long as the documentation is available: identity, specification, Certificate of Analysis and regulatory status for your target markets. We then build the formulation and stability plan around it.
Yes, with the right ingredient. Gummy production involves water and heat, so we work with spore-forming strains or with a postbiotic such as MaestroBiome 01 rather than sensitive lactobacilli.
It depends on the country. In many EU member states the word “probiotic” on a label is treated as a health claim, which is only allowed if authorised, while some member states accept it under national rules. We propose label wording that works in each of your target markets. Our EU launch guide explains the rules.
Typically 8–10 weeks from the brief to the first commercial production, including formulation, pilot samples and release. Repeat orders take 6–8 weeks.
Send a few lines about your product: format, market, rough volume. Minimum orders: 500 units per SKU for sports nutrition, 60,000 capsules or 300,000 stick sachets for probiotics. You get an answer within two working days.
