Dunedin-based oral probiotics company Blis Technologies has secured access to the giant US retail online site Amazon.com.
However, Blis is taking a pragmatic view of the opportunity.
Blis chief executive Brian Watson said the US was the largest global market for probiotics.
``Having Blis-finished products available on Amazon is an important step in the next phase of our growth strategy,'' he said in a market update.
Blis products support oral, ear, nose and throat health, and products already under release in New Zealand will be supplied to the US, including its TravelProduct, FreshBreath Kit and Honey Blis.
Blis chief marketing officer Julie Curphey said while the company was ``very excited'' about the potential of the Amazon sales platform, she was under no illusions that overnight success was a forgone conclusion.
``You don't just put product on the site and it sells. There's a lot of work to do to make sure we capitalise on the opportunity,'' she said in a statement.
US regulatory and labelling requirements are ``well defined'' and go through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Ms Curphey said the marketing team had to create new labels, and in some cases change product names, to comply with US standards.
In May, Blis clinched a significant regulatory milestone when the FDA granted its Blis M18 product GRAS (Generally Recognised As Safe) status, which meant the probiotic could be included as an ingredient in US food products.
Amazon has 300million active users. About 20% of its US customers buy from it at least once a week and 80% at least once a month.
