The old adage is “you are what you eat”. But also important is how what you eat, affects your body. The human gastrointestinal tract contains trillions of bacteria and there is growing interest in understanding how the microbiome impacts health. BelliWelli is a snack brand that’s launching this month and is focused on gut-friendly, plant-based bars. The company’s products are all gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, contain probiotics, and are also low-FODMAP – a short-chain carb that is not easily absorbed by the body. Currently available in four flavors – Minty Chocolate, Cinnamon Swirl, Lemon White Chocolate, Fudge Brownie, BelliWeather bars are available for pre-order from the website with a box of 8 costing $26.96.
LA TechWatch caught up with CEO Katie Wilson to learn more about how her own personal journey to find snacks that her body could tolerate led to the founding of the company, the company’s future plans, and recent round of funding.
Who were your investors and how much did you raise?
Seed round. $1 million
Tell us about your product or service.
We make gut-friendly, certified low-fodmap snack bars for those suffering gut issues like IBS, colitis, IBD, food intolerances, bloating, etc. Every bar contains 500 million CFU probiotics – we believe you can get your probiotics while eating a brownie instead of a pill.
What inspired the start of Belliwelli?
This was incubated in our home kitchen. As a member of the gut-challenged community, I saw first-hand, how few snack options were available to those of us challenged with daily gut symptoms. My husband went to work making me a snack bar (with the help of a dietitian and food scientist) that I could actually eat. We had grown Facebook groups organically over the course of the previous year for those also suffering with gut issues. We hit “go” on the site, and saw 800 bars ordered in the first 24 hours. The bars are also low-fodmap – short-chain carbs that are poorly absorbed by the body.
How is it different?
We made a conscious effort to ensure our product was certified low-fodmap. Low-fodmap is blowing up for good reason – it’s the diet prescribed for those with gut issues. Additionally, we wanted to make sure it was free from gluten, dairy, and sugar alcohols. To top it all off, we added 500 million CFU probiotics to each bar. It’s rare that you see probiotics in a baked product…because quite frankly, it’s difficult! Took lots of iteration.
What market you are targeting and how big is it?
1 in 5 individuals in the US report IBS symptoms and 70% of US females report daily gut symptoms. This is a HUGE opportunity
What’s your business model?
We will start D2C only. We’ve had a few major retailers reach-out, but we want to spend time building and activating this massive community prior to launching in retail.
How has the business impacted by COVID-19?
We started this business in the midst of Covid. We expect that post-covid, gut-friendly on-the-go snacks will become an ever BIGGER opportunity.
What was the funding process like?
I thought I was going to have an uphill battle in educating most about the importance of gut health and the difficulties associated with living with gut issues. Turns out EVERYONE could relate to gut issues on some level (whether it be a family member or even themselves) – everyone quickly recognized the need for a brand to come in and solve for this in a meaningful and authentic way. Low-fodmap is really starting to gain traction, so we have a very unique opportunity to be one of the first low-fodmap baked snack products to market.
I thought I was going to have an uphill battle in educating most about the importance of gut health and the difficulties associated with living with gut issues. Turns out EVERYONE could relate to gut issues on some level (whether it be a family member or even themselves) – everyone quickly recognized the need for a brand to come in and solve for this in a meaningful and authentic way. Low-fodmap is really starting to gain traction, so we have a very unique opportunity to be one of the first low-fodmap baked snack products to market.
What are the biggest challenges that you faced while raising capital?
Zoom! I was craving in-person meetings!
What factors about your business led your investors to write the check?
We are solving a VERY real problem in a very authentic way. I started this because I was motivated to solve my own problem – I think many investors recognize that really meaningful businesses come from founders who are looking to solve for a personal pain point. I think the fact that we had absolutely proved the concept in our home kitchen with a single oven certainly helped.
What are the milestones you plan to achieve in the next six months?
Grow our community across all social channels, start some real and exciting conversation about gut health, launch on Amazon, and develop our next line of SKUs (we are going to let the community dictate what those are).
What advice can you offer companies in Los Angeles that do not have a fresh injection of capital in the bank?
Keep going. Stay true to your story, and most importantly, test for product-market fit.
Where do you see the company going now over the near term?
I think you will eventually see BelliWelli in most aisles in the grocery store. Gut health and the low-fodmap are quickly becoming megatrends for good reason. We have our work cut out for us!
What is your favorite restaurant in LA?
Crossroads Kitchen.
