Its existing range of products for women include those that manage polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), pre-menstrual symptoms (PMS), iron deficiency, and hair, skin, nails concerns.
Founded in 2010, Unived has also developed a variety of products that cut across kids health, sports nutrition, and general wellness.
“My wife, who heads our brand & marketing efforts, and I became parents two months ago. We have started working on this product line several months prior to her pregnancy as the family planning made it an opportune time for us to start this project.
“We launched our Women’s line of nutrition in December 2020, and this range is a natural extension of that product line,” said CEO Amit Mehta.
Its new line-up, known as VeganMomy, addresses the needs of pregnant women from their first trimester and even after they have given birth.
A total of five SKUs under the VeganMomy range was launched this month.
They are 1) a multinutrient consisting of vitamins and minerals for pregnant women in their first trimester, 2) a multinutrient for trimester two and three, 3) a postnatal multinutrient, 4) a pre/postnatal protein and 5) a DHA product.
The pre/postnatal protein and DHA products are to be consumed throughout the different stages, along with the corresponding multinutrient product.
Being a vegan nutraceutical firm, the company has used plant-based versions of vitamin A, D3, E, and K2-7 in the multinutrient products.
As for its protein product, organic pea protein isolate was used in place of whey protein, while calcium derived from Algas calcareas, soy phospholipids, and magnesium citrate were also added.
On the other hand, its DHA product contains algal oil derived from the single-cell microalga Schizochytrium sp.
Market gaps
With the launch, the company hopes to mitigate the existing issue of pre/postnatal products not containing the adequate amount of required nutrients – which is also a key challenge that it had to overcome during the new product development process.
“For the VeganMomy range, one big challenge we faced was to fit in every required nutrient based on research for each stage of pregnancy, and adequately dose it to ensure the benefits are delivered.
“A big example is the VeganMomy Women’s DHA. Each capsule delivers 250mg pure DHA, which is a research based adequate dose for pregnancy. Other brands in the market includes DHA at substantially lower and inconsequential amounts of 15 to 20mg of DHA,” Mehta said.
DHA plays a critical role in the development of the fetal brain, retina, and nervous system.
The recommended daily intake for the VeganMomy Women’s DHA product is one capsule for prenatal women and two capsules for postnatal women.
Upcoming plans
Moving forward, Mehta said the company planned to launch products addressing menopausal symptoms, urinary tract infection (UTI), and vaginal health.
“The entire women’s line of products is fairly new and was launched around December 2020. We typically wait 12 months to allow the product line to settle. The sales thus far have exceeded our expectations and the women’s range is now a very important contributor to our business.
“There clearly is a growing demand for nutrition across age and gender, and with time, the awareness will continue to increase,” he said.