Leslie Danford worked for four years as an executive at alcohol giant Beam Suntory before landing her "dream job" at Oyo, a Softbank-backed hospitality startup that helps you book budget hotels.
She was hired in 2019 to lead the company's Midwest market, but after only a year into the job, Covid hit — and so did a furlough.
The mother of three, with a fourth on the way, was suddenly out of work and home with her kids all day as schools remained closed. She found herself in search of immune-boosting products for her children, who were at the time too young to get a Covid-19 vaccine.
"I was looking around for immune support options, and really all I saw were gummy vitamins," said Danford, adding that many of the traditional vitamins for kids were loaded with sugar. "They felt like candy to me."
That led Danford to start Vitaminis, a startup that makes 2.5-ounce immune support drinks for kids. Intended for children 4 and up, Vitaminis' immune support drink is high in vitamin C, zinc and magnesium, with zero added sugars.
Danford said her time at Beam Suntory, where she was responsible for starting the company's e-commerce division, gave her the background in branding, packaging and product development for Vitaminis — even though she's now targeting a different demographic.
Vitaminis began selling direct to consumers in July and through Amazon in August. While intended for kids, adults can drink Vitaminis too, Danford said, adding that she's heard from adult customers who've made the drink part of their daily routine.
Danford, a Harvard Business School grad who got her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago, said she plans to launch additional products that help kids and families with their health, like drinks for gut health, sleep, and possibly energy and focus down the road.
"I'm envisioning a whole suite of drinks, snacks and bars — all in mini, convenient forms that address all these different opportunities," she said.
