Neeshi with Gita Vellanki feature 118 of Together Talks
- KLS
- Apr 4, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Apr 14
"Together Talks" feature 118: Neeshi presented by KLS, freight company
Some Background on Neeshi
For today's edition of "Together Talks" campaign, KLS had the chance to interview Neeshi and Gita Vellanki, Founder. At Neeshi, they make naturally nourishing treats for menstruation through menopause. Their products were developed by a Mother, on a mission to ease her daughter’s menstrual struggles and was able to help her own perimenopause challenges along the way. Each product is purposefully crafted with the right ratios of nuts and seeds for healthy and tasty nutrient-dense treats.
For my daughter
Gita started our conversation at the beginning. Her daughter was experiencing difficulty with her cycle. Acne, heavy flow, extreme cramps. Gita didn't want the same path for her daughter as her, which was prescribed medication. She had a hard time with the side effects. Instead she thought back to her Grandmother in India, "When something was wrong with one of us growing up, she went into the kitchen, not to the pharmacy." With her daughter around 13 years old, Gita was on a mission to find a better alternative for her daughter.
It took a while, but ultimately she found the right formulation. Her daughter started using it. Within a month her acne cleared up and she told Gita she couldn't believe how simple her next cycle was. It kept the side effects of having her period to a minimum and they only subsided over time. The product was created for her kids initially, but at the time Gita had the beginning signs of menopause and decided to start taking it herself. She instantly noticed a difference in how she felt as well.
At this time, Gita was working in tech. She was fortunate enough to work with clients' foundations or charities they partnered with, giving her an idea for the next phase of her career. She felt that nonprofit would be the next logical step for her as she felt a calling to give back and create an impact. With the success her daughters and herself were having with her products, family and friends started inquiring. Gita was willing to share and performed a test run stating they'd have to try for 3 months to get an accurate gauge if there were any noticeable differences. She shared with us the results, "It was almost 100% noticed positive changes within the first month." Gita suddenly realized that the impact she was seeking was within her own household.
In 2022, she formally launched Neeshi. Named after her middle daughter's middle name as it means independence and self-confidence. Gita viewed it was without letting your period or your hormones stand in your way.
Ease of use, ritual
Gita explained that in addition to the benefits of their products, one of their greatest strengths is how a consumer can incorporate it into their daily lives. Being the only ready to eat balanced food gives a woman flexibility and options. Gita takes great pride in providing an alternative solution to women, but was quick to address the space as a whole, "Three years ago women had nothing, I love what this space has developed and how many options are out there to help support women." She continued, "Women in this space are helping each other, supporting one another, and collaborating together to spread this education and ignite this movement." Doing it together for one common goal is most impressive.
Understanding the necessity of benefits was only part of the equation, ultimately if it didn't taste great it would be hard to gain traction. Tasting is believing is how Gita described it to us. It started out for her girls which meant she put the utmost effort into preparing something that was health first and foremost. Then understanding she was creating a product for a teenager, she knew if it wasn't delicious it stood no chance. When she arrived on the perfectly crafted formulation, it became a daily staple. Most importantly there was no guilt about consuming it daily, Gita explained, "It was never I Have to eat this, instead it was I GET to eat this." Ultimately that was the huge win she set out for. The flexibility to consumer at any point is paramount to the accessibility Neeshi offers its consumers. Gita explained it can easily become part of the ritual of eating instead of the stigma of having to take or apply something and remember if you did so.
Education in their space
A massive challenge for Neeshi is educating women that there is a whole food opportunity to nourish the body and help with the impacts of having a period. Trying to stand out and hit the mark while driving that point home is a hurdle to jump. Gita says she tries to accomplish this quickly albeit being in a niche market. Raising awareness is one of the key contributors for driving change and accentuating growth for her company. She did this participating in the SKU accelerator program. She always envisioned her product as D2C being able to reach the consumer immediately and show the benefits. Gita believed she would fall into the subscription model once a consumer felt good about using the products, why stop? However between SKU and Startup CPG she was amazed by the interest from buyers in the retail space. This allowed her to leverage that interest to spread the word and education even further. Also it has Neeshi positioning for a foray into retail to see if that model supports their business plan. Recently Neeshi and Gita were featured on ABC in the Bay area, something she was not only proud of but grateful for the support, "Not only was it tremendous brand awareness, but how supportive they were and getting to see how much people are resonating with the topic and loving the products means so much.", Gita explained.
Beneficial changes
Being a mentor as she continues on her journey is something Gita aspires to give back and do. The whole goal of her company is to make an impact in people's lives and she is striving to do that in any outlet possible. She will soon be speaking for Women Who Empower Panel at Northeastern University. Gita understands how lonely the road as a founder telling us that year two of her company was essentially a do-over of year one.
One thing Gita learned was doing what is right for your business takes precedence. She advised us that being a small business herself she would try to support other SMB whenever she had the opportunity. But through a few poor hires she realized that isn't always the most optimal choice. While supporting SMB is still important to her, the goal is to take time and hours off your plate as the founder and partnering with the right company and fit is something she learned.
In creating the company, Gita has a list of products she looks forward to one day creating. One that was on the list was the dark cocoa spread. She told us how one of her customers reached out because she was going through ibf and needed to cut out sugar. However, she had seen a huge difference using Neeshi and didn't want to stop, but was at a crossroads. Gita mentioned it was on her list to have a lower sugar option to once again provide even more accessibility for consumers. She immediately moved her schedule around to formulate the new product. Once completed it proved to be a huge pivot for Neeshi as this new product no longer had to be shipped cold, "It has opened up a world of possibilities for us moving forward.", Gita told us. She also rebranded them name removing "cake" from it, which attracted an entire new group of women who previously weren't interested trying due to the word "cake".
Initially one of the most difficult challenges for Gita was finding a kitchen partner. She said it was extremely difficult but luckily she found one, being a team that loved her brand and supported her mission. That was a momentum shift for the company as her outlook changed knowing the support she now had to continue moving forward. Gita credited the genuine connection and partnership as the ethos of what she hopes to mean to her customers as well.
Gita's biggest accomplishment has been her daughters. Seeing them be part of the journey and step out of their comfort zone. "Not only are they public speaking and gaining that experience and life skills, but they are talking about their cycles, a previously very taboo subject. I'm so proud of their courage and immersion in our story.", Gita mentioned. She also stated how her daughters have been involved the entire way. In addition to being the initial taste testers, they have always given their opinion on packaging, design, helping Gita with her pitches, and remarkably the photos on their website were taken by her daughter. The ability to build a company with such a positive impact for women and being able to do it with her daughters is all Gita could ask for, "I feel like I've already won."
Piece of Advice
Our conversation with Gita ended with her sharing her piece of advice:
"One of the hardest things for me was to ask for help. Not having a CPG background, reaching out and getting rejection is very hard. However, I realized that it isn’t rejection always, but people are just busy. Most people aren’t avoiding, just busy, often running their own company. Ask and own your story. Ask in a way that you’re sharing something or giving back. Ask in a well crafted way, that is genuine."
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In Closing
KLS wants to thank Gita Vellanki, Founder, of Neeshi for today's "Together Talks" feature. Follow along for their journey with their social handles below!
Business Resources!
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