Bettery does ‘better and better’

The Portuguese startup Bettery, which produces 100% plant-based nutritional protein supplements, has begun selling its products nationally and online.

The biotechnology startup was founded during the pandemic by Alexandre Pita de Abreu after the distillation of an idea created with Filipe Teixeira, a PhD holder in nutrition and exercise physiology, to come up with a science-based brand.
“When I began taking more care of my body, I started taking supplements, but I was not totally satisfied with the choices available on the market. This led to discussions with the nutritionist Filipe Teixeira about a brand based on science, and which would have an impact on a person’s physical and mental performance”, says the CEO of Bettery, Alexandre Pita de Abreu.
The food supplements brand is based in Lagoas Park, Oeiras near Lisbon, and has a laboratory, and performance and technical areas. Specialists in nutrition and biochemistry develop the products, undertake quality control and test them on people at its laboratory LifeLab. The performance area consists of an equipped gym where various human parameters can be measured (such as strength, endurance, and maximum supported weight), to understand a person’s nutritional needs and accompany their development.
With an investment of just over €2 million in which Pita de Abreu and Flexdeal (a financial management company) were key partners, Bettery has focused its work over the past 18 months building the business. “We needed to create a team, build a brand, design and create products, package them, and get them onto the market”.
Bettery began sales in November 2021, and the first contract was signed with a large e-commerce outlet. “We approached Amazon when the product wasn’t ready and the brand was still being designed, with the aim of serving the Iberian market. We ended up with five markets: UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain”, says the founder.
To date, its products are for sale in Portugal at Worten Online, Auchan supermarkets and the Galp network of shops, among other online outlets.