Chia Bia

What Chia Bia does

Chia Bia is a private Northern Ireland-based packaged food company (legally JOHN WOODS (LISGLYN) LIMITED, operating as part of the Linwoods Health Foods family) that pioneered the introduction of chia seeds to Ireland and Europe. The company sells a small portfolio of chia-based products — whole chia seeds (200g and 400g), milled chia seeds (315g), and functional blends including Gut Health and Immune Support (each 210g) — produced using a cold-milling process designed to preserve nutritional integrity during grinding. Product positioning emphasises high Omega 3 (ALA), fibre, and complete protein content, with functional blends extending into digestive health (probiotic Bacillus coagulans, chicory root prebiotic) and immune support (vitamin D, vitamin C from acerola cherry, iron, copper) segments.

The company operates a dual go-to-market: direct-to-consumer e-commerce through chiabia.com (shipping across the UK and Ireland, with a 15% first-order discount for newsletter subscribers) and physical retail distribution through major UK and Irish supermarket chains including Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Supervalu, and Holland & Barrett. Revenue is generated entirely through unit-priced product sales (approximately £6.79-£6.99 per pack), with no subscription or recurring model. Marketing is content-driven, using a recipe blog, organic social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), email newsletter, and SEO to drive top-of-funnel awareness and mid-funnel conversion.

Operationally, Chia Bia holds BRC Global Standard for Food Safety certification (GFSI-recognised, achieved 2019), maintains batch-level nutritional testing, and sources from long-term South American suppliers. The company has no disclosed headcount, no external funding rounds, and is privately held by an undisclosed ownership structure within the Linwoods family of businesses. No AI capabilities, APIs, or digital products are part of the offering.

Name

Chia Bia

Legal name

JOHN WOODS (LISGLYN) LIMITED

Website

https://chiabia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Chia Seed Nutritional Foods

NAICS

Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAKAJAG

Functional Snacks & Bars Manufacturing (High-Protein, High-Fiber, Probiotic Snacks)

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Processing & Manufacturing/Specialty & Functional Foods Manufacturing (Organic, Fortified, Medical Foods)

SECONDARYCRADAGAF

Probiotics & Digestive Health Supplements

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Manufacturing & Brands/Vitamins, Supplements & Sports Nutrition

Keywords

• Chia seed products
• Omega 3 nutrition
• Functional food blends
• Plant-based protein
• Cold-milled seeds

Headquarters

HQ city

Armagh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Direct sales of chia seed products (whole seeds, milled seeds, and functional blends) to consumers via e-commerce and to retailers/wholesalers for resale

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Chia Bia sells branded chia seed food products to consumers — including whole chia seeds and cold-milled chia seeds, plus functional blends (Gut Health with probiotics and Immune Support with added vitamins). Products are sold direct-to-consumer via chiabia.com and through retail partners (Tesco, Dunnes, Supervalu, Holland & Barrett) across the UK and Ireland. The company emphasizes nutrient integrity through its cold-milling process and positions itself as a pioneer in the European chia market.

Product overview

Chia Bia is a chia seed food products company offering a range of chia-based nutritional products. The core portfolio consists of whole chia seeds (available in 200g and 400g sizes) and milled chia seeds (315g), both providing high Omega 3, fibre, and protein content. The company has expanded into specialized functional blends including Gut Health (launched 2022) featuring probiotic Bacillus coagulans, chicory root prebiotic, and calcium for digestive support; and Immune Support (launched 2022) containing 100% RI vitamin D, high vitamin C from acerola cherry, iron, and copper for immune system support. All products are produced using cold-milling processes where applicable to preserve nutritional integrity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chia Bia Milled Chia Seed 315g

Quantifiable outcome

• 15g daily serving provides approximately: 70 Calories, 2.7g Omega 3, 5g Fibre, 3g Protein
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Linwoods Health FoodscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChia Bia is now part of the Linwoods Health Foods family, which has a rich history of providing healthy seeds, nuts and berries. Linwoods Health Foods is the parent company overseeing Chia Bia operations.
• John Woods (Lisgllyn) LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChia Bia is a trading name of John Woods (Lisgllyn) Limited, the registered legal entity. The company is registered in Northern Ireland.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Navitas Organics: Navitas Organics sells organic chia seeds alongside a broader portfolio of superfoods (cacao, goji, maca). Directly comparable to Chia Bia on chia seed offering, organic/superfood positioning, and online plus natural-foods retail distribution.
• Mamma Chia: Mamma Chia is a US organic chia beverage and snack brand (chia drinks, chia squeezes, chia seeds). Highly comparable to Chia Bia as a pioneer chia brand with retail distribution and a focus on Omega-3 / plant-based / functional nutrition messaging.
• The Chia Co: The Chia Co is a vertically-integrated chia seed brand (Australian origin) selling whole and milled chia products across retail and foodservice globally. Directly comparable to Chia Bia on product format (whole and milled chia), target consumer (health-conscious shoppers), and brand-led marketing of a single-ingredient superfood category.
• Health Warrior: Health Warrior (now part of PepsiCo) markets chia-based bars and seed-based snacks targeting health-conscious consumers. Comparable on product category (chia as the hero ingredient) and on functional / on-the-go positioning overlapping with Chia Bia's milled and functional blend SKUs.

Emerging players

• Rhythm Superfoods: Rhythm Superfoods makes functional seed- and plant-based snacks (chia, kale, beet chips) sold through natural foods and mainstream grocery. Comparable as a small-scale functional seed/snack brand pursuing similar health-positioned listings in the broader health food retail channel.
• Pulsin: Pulsin is a UK natural snack/protein bar and functional food brand selling through health retailers and online. Comparable as an emerging UK functional foods brand with a similar ingredient-led, health-positioned approach targeting gut health, immunity, and plant-based consumers.
• Aduna: Aduna is a UK-based superfoods brand specialising in African-derived ingredients (baobab, moringa, cacao) sold in health retail and online. Comparable as an emerging UK/EU direct-to-consumer health food brand competing for similar shelf space and consumer mind-share in Holland & Barrett and online channels.

Broad incumbents

• Holland & Barrett: Holland & Barrett is the UK's largest health food retailer and a major customer of Chia Bia, but also sells its own-brand chia seeds and functional supplements. Comparable as a category incumbent setting pricing and merchandising norms for chia and digestive-health SKUs.
• Linwoods Health Foods: Linwoods is the parent/affiliated company of Chia Bia and a longer-established Northern Ireland health foods brand selling milled flax, chia, hemp and berry blends. Comparable as a multi-seed functional foods manufacturer serving the same UK/Ireland retailers and the same health-conscious consumer.

Others

• Tesco own brand: Tesco's own-brand chia seed lines sit on the same shelves as Chia Bia in UK stores. Relevant as the most direct private-label competitive threat to Chia Bia's core whole/milled seed SKUs and as a benchmark for retail pricing.

Market position

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chiabiaseed
• Facebookfacebook.com/Chiabia
• Instagraminstagram.com/chiabiaseed/?hl=en

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chia Bia