Under The Hood: Sara from GEM
Where did the idea for GEM originate, and why did you feel so passionate about it?
Sara: I’ve always been passionate about health and wellness and exploring new applications for different superfood systems. My own health journey in my late 20s brought me to the realization that I was very nutrient deficient in many areas. I had a lot of allergies and food sensitivities, so I started experimenting with different diets and eliminating certain foods.
This led me to the supplement aisle for the first time, where I found an archaic and legacy aisle filled with gummy bears, candy-like pills, and capsules. It struck me as strange that this supposedly healthy habit was so similar to candy.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/600ece313e616e6fe12df5d3/668fd88dc7e47429b0db4a61_daily%20gem%20bites%20founder-min.webp)
That’s when I started making my own concoctions, particularly focusing on algae, a superfood system I was obsessed with at the time. I began creating all kinds of weird things in the kitchen, and ultimately, the little bite that is now GEM was born. Initially, I didn’t think of it as an alternative to a multivitamin; it was just a daily health habit that made me feel amazing and filled the gaps in my diet. Over time, this positioning evolved, and GEM became the company it is today.
Did you start by wanting to bring just a better-for-you product or a whole new form factor to the aisle?
Sara: I wanted to bring a whole new form factor to the aisle with a ‘food as medicine’ ethos. Interestingly, I was always a vitamin skeptic and believed you should get your vitamins, minerals, and nutrients from whole food.
However, I realized that our food system is broken, filled with processed fillers, added sugar, and junk, making it necessary to fill the gaps in our diets. This was part of my awakening during my health journey. I thought I was a healthy person, but I needed to fill the gaps in my diet.
The available solutions at the time were more like candy or processed artificial pills, and I felt the supplement aisle deserved disruption. So, I aimed to introduce this ‘food as medicine’ approach, creating a new form factor that truly embodied health and wellness.
Initially, was it easy to message the idea of consuming your nutrients via bites instead of pills or gummies?
Sara: Surprisingly, it was really easy to convey the idea of consuming nutrients via bites instead of pills or gummies. I thought it would be challenging, but I started a Facebook group back in 2017-18, when Facebook groups were still quite popular.
I invited friends of friends and people in my extended network to join. I began seeding the product and asking people if this was something they would want, rather than what they would replace it with. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and that’s how I got my initial group of evangelist customers through that Facebook community.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/600ece313e616e6fe12df5d3/668efc6b62bf4bdfcd109aeb_daily%20gem%20bites.webp)
Direct-to-consumer was crucial in the early days because I could hold up the bite and say, ‘This is what your vitamin should look like.’ It was common sense to people that real food absorbs best in the body. The concept of ‘food as medicine’ resonated with them, and they didn’t need a bunch of scientific facts to be convinced. They simply wanted a healthier, more natural way to consume their vitamins, and GEM embodied that perfectly.
What was the journey like getting from zero to one in terms of growth and revenue?
Sara: To get from zero to one in terms of growth and revenue, I relied heavily on my own founder story and built a scientific advisory board with experts in various domains, including a functional medicine doctor, a neurologist, and a registered dietician. These experts helped inform the formulation, ensuring it addressed the whole person holistically.
Once we had the product ready, I launched quickly within the community I had built, which had been central to my prototyping and provided continuous feedback. We used a referral program, where people could earn rewards for referring others, to generate initial traction.
I also leveraged my founder story across paid ads and sponsored content on different channels to highlight the product’s authenticity and benefits. This helped us gain momentum and build a strong customer base early on.
What inspired the recent packaging overhaul? Is there a retail push on the horizon for GEM?
Sara: We’ve always believed in constant reinvention and out-innovating ourselves, which led to the recent packaging overhaul. We’ve been making changes to our packaging and product since the beginning, always trying to find the best ingredients and ways to convey our product effectively. This latest refresh was about getting closer to being retail-ready.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/600ece313e616e6fe12df5d3/668efc735c9059b8e6d6605f_daily%20gem%20bites-1.webp)
We wanted the product to stand on its own without needing a large top-to-bottom funnel to support it. One significant change was putting an actual picture of the bite on the packaging, something we had never done before. We also aimed to make our products stand out on the shelf amidst colorful packaging by opting for a more minimalist design with bold letters.
While we’re not ready to launch in retail yet for various reasons, these changes were made in preparation for that eventual step. I envision GEM being in new, innovative aisles that combine edible beauty with wellness and superfoods, like those at Target, which blend supplements with real food. My dream is for GEM to be in mass distribution, not necessarily tied to one retailer.
![Gorgias](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/600ece313e616e6fe12df5d3/66966e61944ce2b1f3a5283a_20240715T1108-fc51e780-3756-45fa-a461-8746b4e42b8c.webp)
Gorgias is of the most expensive helpdesks for D2C brands. It centralizes all your support tickets in one place and enriches them with lots of extra context about a buyer's profile. Through Gorgias, you can connect directly to your eCommerce store and edit orders, modify subscriptions, and refund payments without leaving your helpdesk.
![CX & Support](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/600ece313e616e6fe12df5d3/6695b49d99cedf1828e89abd_1-800-D2C_ChannelMarketing.webp)
What are some of your favorite tools and apps in your tech stack?
Sara: We have a pretty simple tech stack, but it’s highly effective. We use Shopify as our main platform and Stay AI for subscriptions. This is crucial for us since we like to offer exclusive flavors to our subscribers first. We use Gorgias for customer service, and for reviews, we rely on Junip. Lastly, we use Looker for our data, which provides a sophisticated platform for us.
Our team is fully remote, so Slack is essential for communication, and we have a documentation-obsessed culture with Notion. We use Notion for everything from brand team databases to hiring, recruitment, operations, and CX team playbooks. Every meeting has notes taken in Notion, and the transparency allows everyone to stay in the loop. These tools and apps are fundamental in supporting our business operations and growth.
What’s something you didn’t expect to be true about building GEM?
Sara: This sounds so naive now, but I truly did not realize how hard it was going to be to get the taste right. It took us about three and a half years to find our hero taste profile and our hero bite, which is our Citrus Ginger flavor.
We had three other flavors initially, but perfecting the taste without turning it into candy was incredibly challenging. We hired multiple food scientists and even a pastry chef to get it right. I was so focused on the science side of things—ensuring the right nutrients were in there and that they worked synergistically—that I underestimated the difficulty of creating a product that tasted good.
In hindsight, I would have approached team and organizational development differently, investing more in these areas early on to help us scale faster. Despite the challenges, the journey taught me the importance of perseverance and continuous improvement.
If you had to attribute your success at GEM to one thing - what would it be?
Sara: If I had to attribute our success to one thing, it would be the focus on unit economics and getting those right from the beginning. We concentrated on our payback period, margin profiles, and ensuring scalability.
Adapting to changes, especially with the impact of iOS updates on advertising, was crucial. Another key factor was the strength of our team. Surrounding myself with the right people who share the same vision has been instrumental.
We finally have a team structure that works well for us, but it took several reorgs to get there. Investing in a solid digital product and website from the start was also important. Although our tech stack is fairly simple, it is effective and has supported our growth. Our success is a combination of strategic focus and having a dedicated, aligned team.