Scaling Science-Backed Gut Health Drinks for Retail with Cecii Health
- Growing Kent & Medway
- Jan 16
- 4 min read
Cecii Health utilised our business support ecosystem to transform a handmade fermented juice shot into a scalable, market-ready product. By combining technical R&D from our Food Accelerator with expert business mentoring, founder Cecilia Wu has refined her formulation, become a finalist for the Nourish Awards, and is now scaling up for national retail.
At A Glance: Project Quick Facts
Project Lead: Cecii Health (Cecilia Wu)
Collaborators: University of Greenwich (Medway Food Innovation Centre)
Key Achievements: Finalist in the Nourish Awards; progressed from a kitchen-based start-up to a retail-ready, safety-validated brand with early-stage traction and consistent consumer engagement.
Food System Areas:
The Challenge: The Technical and Strategic Gap
Cecilia Wu founded Cecii Health to address her personal gut health challenges, but like many early-stage food and drink founders, she faced a steep learning curve when trying to move from a prototype to a safe and commercially viable product.
"When I joined the [Growing Kent & Medway] Food Accelerator, although I had a prototype, I still wasn’t quite commercially ready," Cecilia explains. "I also had a lot of technical queries around shelf life, around the microbiology side of things."
Beyond the product itself, Cecilia found the strategic side of the business overwhelmed her initial confidence. "I've got big dreams but just didn't know how to prioritise the most important things," she admits, noting that without guidance, she would "tend to get lost quite a lot... lost in direction, lost in strategy."
The Innovative Idea: Science-Backed Gut Health
The core innovation lies in the application of a specialised lactic fermentation process to real fruit and vegetable juices. Unlike many functional drinks that can be intensely acidic, carbonated, or flavoured – particularly with strong ingredients like ginger and apple cider vinegar – Cecii Health’s fermentation process is designed to produce a gentler product suited for daily consumption.
The process naturally breaks down fibres within the juice and enhances the availability of bioactive compounds, supporting digestion without the overpowering flavours of traditional fermented foods, excessive carbonation, or alcohol fermentation.
"Drawing on my training in food microbiology, I used the Medway Food Innovation Centre’s labs at the University of Greenwich to test crucial factors like pH and fermentation stability. I was also connected with microbiologists and fermentation scientists within the University network to discuss and clarify technical aspects of the process. Those results shaped an independent, iterative R&D process, letting us refine the product through solid scientific insight rather than relying solely on formulation complexity.”
The Approach: A Three-Stage Growth Journey
Cecilia utilised the full breadth of Growing Kent & Medway’s support system to address different stages of her growth.
Through the Food Accelerator, she accessed the Medway Food Innovation Centre (MFIC). Cecilia worked with experts to address her technical challenges, ensuring the product was safe and stable. "The MFIC's technical expertise was very helpful," she says, particularly for answering questions on "how I can extend shelf life, how can I make sure it's consistent."
Cecilia was also paired with mentor Dan Crooks, Director of iFruit, whom she describes as her "guiding light". This mentoring was crucial for her personal growth as a business leader. "He's really helped me to think and behave like a founder," Cecilia explains.
Currently, in the Accelerator+ programme, Cecilia receives "one-to-one bespoke support" to navigate the complexities of scaling. This phase is focused on identifying "the right distribution channels and the right targeted customers" for a chilled product that requires careful logistical planning.
The Results: Award-Winning Quality
This support has delivered tangible commercial validation. Technical refinements improved flavour consistency while ensuring food safety and regulatory readiness, resulting in a five-star hygiene rating and a robust, audit-ready HACCP plan. This step-change in quality was recognised by the industry, with Cecii Health being named a finalist in the Nourish Awards.
Beyond product quality, the brand has demonstrated clear market traction, securing initial independent retail listings and re-orders. This growing demand is reflected online, where the brand has generated over 22,000 social media views in a single month. As Cecilia notes, "Hopefully we'll be growing a lot more."
See it Differently: Scaling a Science-Led Fermented Gut Health Brand
Looking Forward: Launching into the Mainstream
With a validated formulation and controlled production process in place, Cecii Health is preparing for its next phase of growth.
Cecilia is actively building relationships with "shops and also chill distributors" to navigate the logistics of selling a fresh, fermented product. Her focus is now on scaling up without compromising the product's unique properties – applying the fermentation science and process controls developed during the Accelerator to ensure the product remains consistent, gentle, and safe as volumes increase.
She remains committed to educating consumers on why this process matters: "You have to understand the science to be able to make it taste like this."
Our Support: A Critical Intervention
Reflecting on the journey, Cecilia is clear that the support was the catalyst for her success.
"The food accelerator is absolutely fantastic. It has changed my life completely," she says. "It has helped me to improve my technical knowledge in food science, food safety... It also opened up a lot of doors for me."
"Without Growing Kent & Medway, I don't think I can be where I am."
