How One Entrepreneur Turns Bacteria Into a Trending Topic

Jason Stewart was waking up to a new day in Cape Town, South Africa — and he was feeling surprisingly good. After a 13 year struggle with health issues that seemed to have no solution, he'd turned the corner.

The reason for this positive change? Probiotic bacteria.

"I'd struggled to get out of bed, had bad immunity, and spent a lot of money seeing doctors," said Stewart. "After a lot of effort and research, I finally learned about the role of gut health within our overall health."

It was a discovery that would change Stewart's life in more ways than one.

Hunting for Real Solutions — Not False Claims

After realizing that his gut health needed a fix, Stewart set out to find the best possible probiotics to support his body. But the first few brands he tried turned out to be a disappointment.

"Standard probiotics are very fragile and will die if exposed to oxygen, light, moisture, or heat," said Stewart. "Nine months after a normal probiotic capsule is produced, only 20% of the beneficial product is left. And when you swallow it, your stomach acid destroys the capsule and the majority of the probiotics."

Stewart didn't stop his search, though, and he finally found a solution — a unique technology called Duo-Cap™. The Duo-Cap process placed probiotics inside of two capsules meant to protect the beneficial bacteria from all manner of environmental factors, even stomach acid.

The benefits were amazing. Stewart's health turned around, and he knew he wanted to help others unlock the same benefits. By combining his personal health experiences with his background in advertising and branding, Stewart was able to launch Probitec, a high-quality probiotic capsule made with that very same Duo-Cap technology.

The only thing left to do was get Probitec into the hands of the people who needed it most.

Taking a Science-Backed Approach to Marketing

The first step in this process was to connect directly with doctors and other medical professionals who might advise patients on what is and isn't true when it comes to gut health.

"Doctors want the best for their patients, and they know that some claims made about probiotics aren't true. They're looking for the hardcore science; the proof," said Stewart. "We do a lot of deep research around the strains in our products. We actually went into a pharmacy and bought our product off the shelf along with 11 competitors, then sent everything to a lab in Johannesburg.”

After undergoing lab testing both straight off of the shelf and after exposure to stomach acid, the superiority of Probitec’s product was undeniably clear.

“The majority of brands had zero colony forming units (CFUs), meaning the dose wasn’t viable. There would be no benefit.” said Stewart. “Our capsule sat at 14.3 billion CFUs, or 93% of our intended dose.”

But Stewart knew that while medical professionals would be interested to know the details of Probitec’s CFU dosage over time, such details might be too technical for the general public.

"TikTok is very influential right now. Part of what we're trying to do with our brand is demystify everything and challenge trending 'treatments' that aren't good for people," said Stewart. "We take the ways that we communicate with doctors and make them more bite-sized, fun, and entertaining to drive through social media. We're not only promoting our brand, but also helping people understand biology, how we are built, and how bacteria work within us."

Finding Common Threads Across Trends

To reach individuals on social media, though, Stewart and his team have to know what trends, topics, and hashtags to target with their science-backed information.

“We look at where consumers get their information from — where they are getting clues around what to do with their health,” said Stewart. “We know that includes search engines, AI overviews, social media, and people’s friends.”

First, Stewart researches what topics are spiking in interest on social media and in Google search. But he doesn’t just stick to his industry vertical. For example, Stewart is currently monitoring trends not only related to gut health, but skincare as well.

“I like to understand the ‘why’ behind a trending topic and look for further trends. This can include topics that are completely unrelated to my industry — if I can understand what’s driving someone’s interest in a trend, I can potentially link our product to it,” said Stewart. “A lot of trends that are global can be hidden in South Africa until a little bit later. And even if a trend isn’t directly relevant now, it plants a seed in my mind and keeps me aware of what’s going on. In an emerging market like our country, we have some time to act on trends.”

As a busy entrepreneur, though, Stewart has to consciously make time to explore current and future trends.

“The Exploding Topics newsletter is honestly great for me, because it’s my weekly reminder to do research,” said Stewart. “Without it, I wouldn’t have the capacity or the time. I get the email every Tuesday afternoon around three o’clock and I read it religiously; I love it. It’s an incredibly useful resource.”

Once he finds some trends to dig into, Stewart begins to think about what products might be of interest across multiple categories. Someone struggling with low immunity might benefit from a high-quality probiotic — but so could another person concerned about pimples, unaware of the connections between gut health and acne.

Exploring New Ways to Help Others

Because gut health can impact so many different parts of the body, there continue to be new ways for Probitec to support its customers — both in terms of education and actual products.

“We’re very excited about extending our product range. We’ve got some products that will launch us into the kids’ health area, the female health area — specifically around pregnancy and menopause — and cognition, to help improve brain function,” said Stewart.

And while Probitec primarily serves the South African market, residents of other countries will get access to the company’s supplements in the future, too.

“We’re creating great impact here, but we’re also looking at other markets around the world,” said Stewart. It’s extremely exciting.“

Ultimately, though, the most exciting thing for Stewart is getting to see how his products are helping others.

“It’s been incredibly rewarding from a personal perspective, getting to work on something that’s making an improvement in people’s daily lives,” Stewart said. “And even if someone reading this doesn’t have access to our product yet, I encourage them to look into the importance of the microbiome and the bacteria that live inside of us. What those bacteria do for us is so important — I really have an appreciation for these invisible things that influence how we experience life."