In this piece, we interview Jade Diep, co-founder of the edible glitter start-up Dr Glitter. The entrepreneur has developed a new product called ActivCrystals™, an edible, flavourless glitter that contains iron and prebiotics. The idea is to make supplements fun, easy, and Instagrammable. Dr Glitter is already attracting attention from investors, having been announced as a finalist in the LIFTWOMEN®’s LiftHER Female Founders Grant Challenge.
How did you come up with this idea?
JD: We came up with Dr Glitter in our mid-twenties. We loved decorating our food and drinks with gold sugar and gold pepper. We also realised that it’s difficult to get all of the nutrients our bodies need from food alone. Health supplements were booming, but I didn’t want to take pills unless I was sick, and our friends in Asia were taking handfuls of tablets and capsules per day but didn’t know how to eat a balanced diet of whole foods.
So we created Dr Glitter to showcase healthy eating, and allow people to sprinkle added nutrients onto their meals.
Can you tell us a bit about what your product is and why people are buying it?
JD: Dr Glitter encapsulates active ingredients in a prebiotic tree sap to form crystals that are brightly coloured, tasteless and designed to be sprinkled on meals. We have launched with Red IRON+ Crystals and Orange PROBIOTICS+ Crystals that are made from natural ingredients, and are suitable for adults and children.
Our best seller is iron because unlike many iron tablets, our product doesn’t cause stomach cramps or constipation. Unlike iron infusions we don’t just temporarily increase your iron levels, we address the underlying issue and make getting enough iron in your diet easy and cost effective.
This is a first-to-market product. What was the process of developing it/testing it/finding a manufacturer?
JD: Dr Glitter’s research and development process has taken over five years. We are now patent-pending for the use cases, manufacturing processes and compositions of nutrient crystals, and call our innovations ActivCrystal™ technology.
Augusta and I worked with manufacturers to build custom machinery and conducted two years of manufacturing trials before arriving at our final manufacturing process and formulations. We have also tested variations of our final product in a range of use cases, and conducted extensive consumer surveys.
Throughout this process, my co-founder Augusta has led our incredibly patient and passionate team of scientists, engineers and manufacturers.
How does the uniqueness of the product help/challenge you in marketing it? How do you educate your customers?
JD: The uniqueness of our product, name, packaging, photos and videos grab attention. This has meant that retailers globally have quickly picked up Dr Glitter, giving us credibility and a platform for market education.
Dr Glitter’s first challenge is to show customers “how to use our product”. Nutrient crystals are best sprinkled on meals, juices or smoothies, as opposed to plain water like sweetened powders.
We have found that very clear instructions on our packaging and website, as well as videos on social media, quickly provide customers with the education they need.
What advice can you impart to someone who might have a unique idea in mind for a business?
JD: Build your international network and acumen early. A unique idea often requires global markets and resources to build and scale.
Be open, but also very disagreeable. Many people will think you’re crazy until you prove them wrong.
Remember that opinions are cheap, be mindful of what might be informing people’s opinions and whether they understand your target customer.
Seek non-dilutive funding in the development phase. This allows you to focus on quality and depth of innovation, as opposed to quickly returning investors’ money.
Joining a crowdfunding platform like LIFT Women will boost your international network, develop resilience, and provide access to grant and crowd funding.
