AbBaltis is a true local success story. Managing Director Giedre Brandao founded the business in 2010 with £600 of her own money. Nine years later and AbBaltis is thriving, with 12 people working for her and customers based all over the globe.
AbBaltis supplies disease state plasma to the manufactures of In Vitro Diagnostic tests. They help companies develop new and improve existing blood diagnostic tests, and provide biological materials and scientific support to the researchers worldwide.
95% of the business currently comes from exporting to customers outside the UK – with customers as far afield as the US, Japan and China. With this commitment to exporting, it is no surprise that Giedre was recently named by the Department for International Trade to be one of their inaugural “Export Champions” for the South East. This involves attending roundtables to discuss ways to improve exporting in the region, as well as being on hand to mentor younger businesses that want to take the first steps in exporting.
Despite the majority of the business’ customers being outside of the UK, Giedre is very focused on supporting the young people get into science, both from Swale and the wider Kent area. She explained: “AbBaltis is deeply committed to championing the next generation of scientists, which is why we frequently visit careers fairs in secondary schools and universities throughout Swale and across the rest of Kent. We are determined to encourage young people to consider a career in science, as this generation will be the ones curing cancer, solving climate change and developing new technologies. We want to show them that there are science careers available on their doorstep – they don’t need to travel to London or even abroad to find opportunities in the sector.”
Finally, Giedre spoke about why she felt that 2019 was the year for AbBaltis to be the Swale Business of the Year: “2019 has been a huge year for us so far, as our successful business is now taking the next step in our evolution. We have just agreed terms for new premises, which will allow us to double the office and laboratory space we have. This will allow us to keep up with the growing pace of our sales and we are in the process of recruiting more staff to keep fulfil the increasing orders. As a business we do our best to take care of our staff, our customers and our local community, and will continue to do so for as long as we are trading!”
AbBaltis
Wises Oast
Wises Lane
Sittingbourne
ME9 8LR
01795 227 035
www.abbaltis.com