Outside work: On the rare times I’m away from the factory, I love spending time with my children. I also enjoy swimming I studied agriculture at Reaseheath College in Nantwich, and also worked on the dairy in Peterborough – both invaluable experiences. I started working for Pakeeza straight after college, and became md a couple of years after.

Another thing we’ve done is bring a lot of our testing in-house. We’ve also just taken on a food technologist. All of these things help to bring more control to the manufacturing process – instead of sending samples out, we can now do everything in our laboratory. There is some evidence that suggests that probiotics can be helpful for diarrhoea and irritable bowel syndrome, however, there is little evidence to support all of their health claims. 4 While the Asian shopper remains important to us, and our leading brand is the Natural Bio yogurt in the 1kg format, we’ve since seen a massive growth of white British people using our products for things like smoothies, condiment sauces and dips. To keep up with growth, we have had to continually invest in the premises and in the processing equipment. We are always investing in tanks, valves, linear machines – any kind of automation, in fact.This is why regularly including live yoghurt in your diet may be a great way of keeping your gut healthy. UK yogurt sales are flat overall, but there is growth in two areas. Firstly, Greek yogurt is becoming an ever-more popular replacement for sour cream and crème fresh – because at 10%, it contains just half the fat.

Both of which are all vital for a numb er of processes within your body, such as regulating your blood pressure, supporting your immune system and improving bone health. 11,12Having sugar in excess may be associated with several health problems, including diabetes and obesity. 36,37,38 Overall, I think it’s about having a balance of value-added products versus more standard products – and that includes own-label products. One particular study looked at participants which regularly consumed yoghurt that contained bifidobacterial. To spread our risk and grow further, we have diversified into wholesale and own-label – and we also sell bulk yogurt to other manufacturers. The own-label side in particular has grown tremendously, helped by the fact that we are working with some of the fastest growing retailers.

Another study found that yoghurt that included Bifidobacteria saw improvements in symptoms connected to digestion. 24 Our Lancashire Farm brand continues to grow by 10–20% year-on-year, and I think there’s no reason why the company cannot grow by 40–50% over the next three to five years. The factory is running at 70% capacity, so we don’t have any problems on that front. Live yoghurt contains live bacteria or probiotics that have either been part of a starter culture or added after the yoghurt has been pasteurised. It is thought that probiotics may help you restore the natural balance of bacteria in your stomach and intestines when they’ve been upset by illness or after treatment. One nutrient yoghurt doesn’t contain naturally is vitamin D, however, it is commonly added to many branded yoghurts.GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT: Having grown the business organically over two decades and being headstrong with the challenges that have come up Essentially, the business grew through independent retailers, and it remains the bread and butter of our business. As it stands, we’ve got a really strong independent network across the UK, but in particular along the M62 corridor and in London and Birmingham. I know it all sounds like plain sailing, but the yogurt market isn’t without its challenges. One of the biggest is the current price of milk, brought about by the Russian embargo on imports and the end of the EU milk quota system, which both happened last year. Studies show that both of these vitamins may protect against heart disease and certain neural tube birth defects. 9,10

Another challenge to the business was when the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) ruled in 2012 that the health claims of probiotics were unproven. A wide range of our products include cultures like Bifidobacterium BB12​ and Lactobacillus acidophilus​, which we had to reclassify as ‘bio-cultures’.Traditionally, a live yoghurt starter uses a well-balanced blend of bacteria that consumes sugars that naturally occur in milk – this bacterium turns lactose that is present in milk to lactic acid, which in turn changes the taste and texture. An intolerance to lactose may lead to digestive symptoms such as abdominal pain or diarrhoea after milk consumption.