From Startup to $2.4M: A Wellness Brand's Gummy Vitamin Journey

The founder had spent five years in the wellness industry as a marketing director before deciding to launch her own gummy vitamin brand. She saw a gap in the market for premium, vegan gummy vitamins with transparent ingredient sourcing and millennial-friendly branding.

However, when she started reaching out to manufacturers, she hit wall after wall. Most required minimum orders of 10,000+ units per SKU—a $150,000+ commitment before selling a single bottle. Others had 16-week lead times that would miss her planned Q1 launch window.

The few manufacturers willing to work with startups offered only generic white-label formulas with artificial colors and high-fructose corn syrup—the exact ingredients Sarah's target market actively avoided.

Build Your Own Brand partnered with this startup to create a phased launch strategy that minimized risk while maximizing market learning. We started with our 500-unit minimum—allowing the founder to test three initial formulas before committing to larger production runs.

Our R&D team developed custom pectin-based vegan gummy formulations using natural fruit flavors and colors from spirulina, beet, and turmeric. Each formula went through our 90-day stability testing protocol to ensure shelf life for DTC fulfillment.

We provided turn-key support including FDA-compliant label design, Certificate of Analysis documentation, and guidance on structure-function claims that would resonate with her health-conscious audience without triggering regulatory issues.

The brand launched in March 2025 with three SKUs: Multivitamin, Vitamin D3+K2, and Biotin Hair & Nails gummies. The initial 500-unit run sold out in 11 days through Instagram marketing alone.

By month six, they had expanded to 12 SKUs and were ordering 5,000+ units per production run. Their subscription program achieved a 68% retention rate—nearly double the industry average of 35%.

The brand was featured in a major business publication's wellness edition and secured distribution in 200+ boutique wellness retailers by year end. Total first-year revenue reached $2.4M with a 34% net margin.