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. 

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. 

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. 

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.