The botanical blend is a combination of prebiotic fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and the green tea amino acid L-theanine. It previously launched in Germany and the UK, and following the acquisition, Harke expects further launches across Europe and North America over the next 12 months.
What happened to Green Bioactives?
Green Bioactives focused on developing natural plant-based wellness ingredients through biotechnology, a process that involved collecting plant samples, cleaning and cultivating stem cells, and scaling production in bioreactors to extract beneficial compounds.
However, following an unfortunate series of events, Green Bioactives was unable to raise the minimum funds needed to attain pre-awarded grants after an investment fell through earlier in the year.
Meaney attributed the closure to a lack of new investments, as investors are focused on maintaining and supporting their existing portfolios rather than taking on new businesses with potentially higher risk due the prevalent uncertainty in 2025.
“We were close to having the first plant cell culture product ready to sample for multinational customers, but ultimately, we just ran out of time,” he said.
Although the supplement gained significant traction and had a strong sales pipeline, sales were unable to materialize in time to save the company.
Meaney noted that it was encouraging to see the ingredient remaining available in the market.
“Personally, I am very pleased the ingredient has a future,” he said.
Christian Steinle, head of Harke Nutra, told NI that the company has observed significant interest in the product.
“Significant commercial successes have already been achieved, making the acquisition and global expansion of the brand a logical and consistent step for Harke,” he said.
Cognitive health market booms
Meaney explained that the product originally launched in response to the growing demand for natural supplements, especially among the aging population.
“We’ve seen globally the cognitive health market is booming, especially in food supplements, and as we get an aging population around the world, there’s a greater demand,” he previously told NI.
“As people age, they are looking to take ownership of their own health, and it’s not even about extending lives, it’s about improving the time people are healthy and can be active.”
A recent double-blind, placebo-controlled study found the supplement improved memory by 10.1%. FOS and L-theanine also showed synergistic effects, suggesting that the combination could enhance cognitive signaling pathways more effectively than either ingredient alone.
Steinle said he was sold on the scientifically proven combination of FOS and L-theanine.
“For me, our Memory Complex is a real booster for clear thinking and a strong memory,” he said.
Steinle explained that cognitive health and performance is a strong and growing sector, making it a sound area for investment.
“It is increasingly perceived by society as the key to professional success, mental well-being and healthy aging,” he said. “This trend is being further fueled by technological, demographic and social developments—and is likely to become even more important in the future.
“All of these are clear indicators making further investment in this area highly advisable.”
