A smart dispenser that looks great, connects seamlessly with other devices, and encourages consumers to take supplements when they need to is bringing nutritional expertise into the home, says a British startup.
Naeo Nutrition CEO Nele Wessels began her entrepreneurial journey after studying business at Imperial College London and nutrition at the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA).
After launching her personalised supplement business, she quickly realised that there was a great deal more to the consumer health journey than simply issuing recommendations.
“What I was seeing was that after receiving recommendations, only about 50% of consumers would stick with the regime,” she explained. “People forget to take supplements, go on vacation, etc. There are so many factors as to why people find it difficult.”
This realisation promoted a rethink. While a great deal of industry focus is understandably on end products, Wessels felt that not enough attention was being paid to the start of the health journey. She interviewed hundreds of consumers about their habits and concerns to better understand why so many find it difficult to stick to a routine.
One key issue she found was that many people were not seeing an effect from their supplements, in part because they were not sticking to a routine. This, in turn, made them even less likely to stick to their routine, thus creating a vicious circle.
In addition, consumers viewed supplement and medicinal dispensing mechanisms as being for older people, while state-of-the-art digital models tended to be expensive and over-engineered.
“We therefore saw a clear gap in the market here for something that would encourage people to take vitamins and medication,” said Wessels. “This is where the idea for our smart dispenser came from.”
During the design process, Wessels wanted to make sure that the dispenser was both convenient to use and attractive. The idea was to create something similar to a Nespresso machine, by producing something that would seamlessly fit into a modern kitchen.
“Instead of having a drawer full of outdated supplements and half-full blister packs, consumers simply insert the supplement they need, like a coffee capsule, into the dispenser,” explained Wessels. “The dispenser can also be connected to your smartphone, and lets you know when you should take supplementation as part of a tailored routine.”
The touchscreen-responsive dispenser has also been designed to be dishwasher safe and lightweight, and is built with as much sustainable material as possible.
A key part of the work ahead, believes Wessels, will be raising awareness and educating consumers about this breakthrough in dispensing technology.
“Dispensers really haven’t changed much in years,” she said. “This is why we are coming to trade shows like Vitafoods, to showcase what we can do. Reactions have been great.”
Being recognised as a finalist in the Most Innovative Service, Technology, or Digital Solution Supporting the Nutraceutical Industry category in this year’s Vitafoods Europe Startup Innovation Challenge was an important milestone in this respect.
“I think our innovation was a real eye opener for many people in the industry, who as I said, are often focused more on the end product,” said Wessels. “We are demonstrating that you need to start at the beginning of the health journey. Because no matter how good your product is, people need to take it for it to work.”
She sees huge potential, with further applications of AI bringing nutrition into the very centre of consumers’ homes.
“I think there is a lot of room for further growth,” she said. “For example, our smart dispenser could connect with nutritionists and clinicians. We are training an AI language model with nutritional knowledge, so that consumers get a tailored response.
“We see this innovation as becoming a future hub of nutrition, with the convenience of being at your home.”
