The Supplement Industry Is Broken: How Two Athletes Fixed It with Caroline & Sebastian Graeff | Ep. 186

0:05Hey everyone, welcome back to Founder Story. Today we have Caroline and Sebastian Graff, co-founders of NIAID. And Caroline and Sebastian, you have a very interesting story going from professional athletes to helping people, which we're going to get into all that. I am very passionate about health. I think our audience always really enjoys to hear people talking about this topic because we are all stressed out. Entrepreneurs, founders, business executives, stress, overeating. I mean, joint health, getting older, longevity. These are all things that we are very interested. But before we dive into everything around the supplements and your company, can you share the story as to why did you even become founders?

0:49Hi, Daniel. Thank you for the introduction and thank you for inviting us to the show. So I'm Sebastian. This is Caroline. We both grew up in France in a very sporty environment because our father himself was a soccer professional player. and he was as well a self-made businessman which helped us to instill in us the principles of discipline, resilience and ambition. And from a young age, we were immersed in the world of sports, constantly challenging ourselves, competing and learning the importance of perseverance. So for me personally, my passion was tennis. I pursued it at the highest level professionally, but also in college where I was a two-time All-American at Pepperdine University in a D1 school.

1:39And all those years, it taught me the values of discipline, mental strengths, work ethics. When I was done at the university, when I graduated, I went back, started working with my father, actually, in the mail order business. And then after a few years, I went on to start my own business where I started focusing mainly on health supplements. My sister, which is, I think now she should go. Yes, it's important to know that because it really shaped why we started this company. So myself, I used to be a professional athlete in snowboarding for France. And then I moved to the U.S. over 20 years ago to finish studying and also become an entrepreneur.

2:29And basically, I kept on having a very busy lifestyle. doing triathlons and a lot of outdoor activities like crow climbing still skiing a lot and I was started I started having a lot of joint issues and my brother said you should try one of my supplements I think you you like it like so I took it and after a month it was it felt like a miracle I was able to do a lot more and remove some of the stress before my long distance activities and that's when we thought there could be something to be done in the U.S. with that supplement. Initially, it was just one supplement, the joint health supplement.

3:07And we decided to partner up and to launch NIAID, but we wanted to do it different than what we were seeing in the U.S. We had a strong vision and mission when it comes to products, quality of products, safety, but also sustainability. And so, yeah, we went in, all in. It's amazing that you have a brother and sister duo. I think some people are afraid sometimes to work with their family. You know, some people say it's great. Some people have had a mixed experience. How has that been? And if it's been a great experience, what are some pointers to the audience who are also thinking about going into business with their family?

3:49For me personally, we grew up with our father who was, like I said, a self-made businessman. he loved the i mean he was crazy about working he was a vocalic and for us it was natural at some point to work together i mean it happened just on a circumstance because she was suffering with her with her knee but we we always talked about potentially working together one day so it really happened naturally the biggest challenge is actually i do live in switzerland and she lives in So that's our biggest challenge. But we are very complementary. You know, whatever strength he has, it might be a weakness.

4:35Well, he knows the health supplement business really well since he's developed it in France and Portugal. And for me, I'm more on the creative side. So we really balance all the tasks. And like you said, the main objective, it's been the time difference. No, that's great. You're working through the strengths of one another and you have complementary skill sets. So it doesn't sound like you're going to be stepping on each other's toes. So that makes total sense. You know, you had instilled from your father, you know, family and understanding business was going to be a thing for you. So let's talk about product market fit.

5:12So you create this product. You look at the market you want to go into is the US, which is obviously a very competitive market. What are you doing or seeing? or can you elaborate on the things that really set you apart from what you were talking about earlier? Of course, Daniel. You're very right. It's a big take to launch in the U.S. in such a big market. So the first thing was we decided not to focus just on one product. We decided to focus on products that matter to us and usually around lifestyle. So we have actually five products right now. joint health, stress management, muscle recovery, and weight management.

5:56So for us, it was very important that we feel connected to those products based on our lifestyle, our experience, and what we believe is health, is having a healthy life. So how do we, so the big thing that I was telling you earlier, like it was important for us to have a very, very strong vision and we have very strong values that come with it. And so we use that at our advantage to differentiate ourselves. So the first thing is our formulas. And actually most of our formulas, four out of the five products we have, only have one ingredient. So they're very natural. They all come from nature. So we have the mangosteen for joint health, a lemon balm for stress, lemon verbena for muscle recovery.

6:40But with that being said, the composition of our products is very simple, but it's about the bioactive ingredients. That's what makes it so special. We're able to extract them in a way that allows us to make very efficient supplements. So it's not like, oh, I drink a lemon verbena tea that will help me with muscle recovery. It may help, but really it's different. Not all products are equal. And then on matters of safety, our products obviously are tested for compliance in the U.S. and also in Europe. Our products are non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free, free of additives. We're trying to stay very simple and clean.

7:18And that's huge for us. And I think it's a big advantage to focus on that in today's market. Consumers are very skeptical. And that's a big thing we've seen through our marketing and customer service. It's very important to customers. So that's our first way we differentiate ourselves. The other thing is our products are all clinically tested and proven. Not just ingredients. which usually you'll see companies, competitors, saying that they have clinically tested ingredients. We have clinically tested formulas. So there is no issues of two ingredients counterinteracting. You know, there could be negative interactions between several ingredients.

8:04We test the final product you actually put in your mouth, which is very important. And we believe we're one of the only people doing this. The third part is the sustainability part. Being an outdoorsy person, I'm really a snowboarder and I do a lot of backpacking, backcountry skiing, etc. It's very important to us. So it was a very, for our audience right now that is interested in becoming a sustainable company, it was very challenging to look for non-plastic options when it comes to packaging. And we found a great company called BioBottles. And it's actually, it's a plastic that has specific technology that helps the plastic break down in a natural setting, which is fantastic because it's light.

8:54So it's great when shipping, but also it prevents microplastic. And you could recycle it. And if you don't recycle it, it will eventually break down in nature setting. So that was the first thing. And then when it comes to shipping, we partnered with a company called Sandal and we're able to ship carbon neutral, which is also very, without putting the burden on consumers with added costs. We have very, very competitive shipping rates. So we were very happy to be able to fill this sustainable objective. We still have to improve, of course, but we have no plastic in our shipments. I mean, we're really trying to stay true to this value.

9:38So, and lastly, so at NAYAD, we are not trying only to sell products. What we're trying to do is also to educate and empower people to adapt to a healthier and more balanced lifestyle. So through our journey in sports, wellness, Caroline and I have learned that true well-being comes from daily habits, mindful choices and a commitment to continuous growth. That's why we focus on providing the knowledge and tools to help our community thrive. We share personalized e-books, weekly wellness tips, and nutrients easy to make recipes in order to make it easier for people to integrate healthy routine into their daily lives.

10:21And our goal is to inspire movement, encourage self-care, and foster a deeper awareness of our choices, impact both our bodies and the environment as well. So it's really important for us. Like, you know, it's like nowadays you can say it's easy. Like when you take a, like, for example, a weight management product, oh, you're going to lose so-and-so kilos or pounds. But if you don't put some efforts on your side, it's not going to happen. This is going to help you. And what we want to try is to have to change this mentality where people have just a better structure in their life. And those products, all of them for different things, it will help them.

11:03Yes, we want to build sustainable habits, help people build sustainable habits in the long term. So it's not just taking a supplement, but maybe meditating, going on walks and moving your body. So we're trying to emphasize also on educating our consumers. I'm really blown away because you've thought about a lot of features and a lot of benefits, more so than just the product alone. For example, you said the formulations versus the ingredient being looked at in terms of efficacy, community building things, giving people education and know-how, as well as standards from the bottle to the shipping.

11:45You've really thought about every step of the way. And I would say European standards from what I've seen in supplements are much higher. the U.S. is not always, you know, they allow a lot of things that I know Europe won't even allow in ingredients. I'm curious with all of these things that you've, that you've created and all of these amazing benefits and stuff. Did you, did this just become an organic thing? Did you, like, did you plan on, okay, we're going to have sustainable bottles and we're going to, we're going to do tests on the formulations or was this something that came along the way?

12:21What was your process in determining, you know, we're going to do all because it seems like it's a lot of things, amazing things. But I'd imagine in the beginning, it would be tough to know everything. But did you plan this all or did it organically happen? Yes, it was. It was part of the plan because Sebastian's background in health supplement came from the mail order industry. For the most part, he also did a bit of e-commerce, but it was mostly catadoc sales and very little about branding. And for me, branding is big. And I feel like that's when people connect to a brand, they get inspired, they listen.

12:57And with this, with What Matters to Us, between the sustainable part and the education part, that was non-negotiable when we decided to launch. I mean, in Switzerland, they are just like very eco-friendly anyway. So I don't think he realizes how much more difficult it could be in the US. But it took a long time to find the right partners and to make sure that as a young company, we don't get penalized, should I say, from higher costs. We do not penalize the end consumer, right? Because at the end, we want our consumer to be able to purchase a product without having to purchase because the bottle might be too expensive.

13:38So we were really able to find great partners in that realm and we're very happy that we were able to accomplish those objectives, for sure. Like I heard you said. No, this is really great. I'm very, very impressed. We've talked to other founders that have been doing supplements. I've never seen anyone who has focused or who has planned out so many of the pieces along the way. I'm very impressed by that. I want to try this. I have joint issues in my knee. I need and I love Mangosteen. Like I need to get this product and I got stressed and I want to be in the best shape of my life. so if people want to get in touch with you and they want to maybe find out more about the products about your journeys, how can they do so?

14:20They can visit our website www.naidshop.com so it's n-a-i-a-d s-h-o-p dot com we also have a couple products on Amazon right now we have our stress management and our joint health product also on Amazon and you can follow also of course on social media on Instagram and Facebook. Well, Caroline and Sebastian, this has been great. I'm very, very impressed by what you've been doing. I'm super inspired. I think other people, not only to try your product, but also to live their dreams about maybe working with family members, you know, planning out and being more strategic with the launches of their product services, whatever they're doing in their company.

15:08I think this has been a great conversation. And thank you so much for joining us today on founder story thank you very much danielle thank you bye thank you bye bye