“I’M IN AWE OF HER”
KATIE WARD, 37, RUNS PROBIOTICS BRAND MICROBZ WITH HER MUM, SUE ALLEN, 74
My parents have always been ahead of the curve, running a sailboat transport business when I was young, hoping to reduce the emissions of cargo shipments. 12 years ago, gut health was only just beginning to be recognised and researched when they started Microbz, but Mum quickly understood that the trillions of bacteria living in our guts could be the answer to many of the world’s health problems. They started small, initially fermenting at the kitchen table, with Mum in charge of creating recipes for probiotics fermented with herbs, minerals and juices.
I worked in communications and marketing and five years ago, I joined the family business. Mum used to be a teacher so when we first started working closely on ideas she’d point out my spelling mistakes. I’d have a reaction I wouldn’t have if Mum was just my boss and not also my mum. But over the years, we have evolved not only how we speak about microbes, but also how we speak to each other. We understand each other deeply and have a collaborative, honest relationship.
Mum’s working on microbes to support soil now. The microbes in our gut come from the food we eat and the food we eat should be grown in soil which is rich in microbesmicrobes. Mum’s dedicated to growing food in our polytunnels in microberich soil to see how much more nutrient dense the crop is. I love how excited Mum gets when she discovers something new. She is enlivened by being in nature, growing vegetables and learning and I am in awe of her. When it’s tough, she acknowledges it’s tough, but she doesn’t let it stop her. Probiotics are alive and we believe the microbes respond to a positive and caring energy so we provide a nurturing environment to brew our range. We play music and feed the microbes organic molasses, setting an intention that they do good in the world, just like Mum and I hope to. MICROBZ.CO.UK