We chat with Debbie Wong, mumpreneur of kids' vitamin brand, MadeFrom, to give us the lowdown on kids' supplements and what we should be looking out for.
Dinner time rolls around, and the usual chaos ensues as the kids refuse to eat anything on their plate that isn’t a plain white carb. Have you wondered how your child is surviving with such a lack of nutrients (or is that just me?). I keep telling myself, ‘they’ll eat when they’re hungry’ and ‘they’ll learn to love veggies’, but is that enough? We’ve been hesitant to give our kids supplements for fear of disturbing their gut health with synthetic vitamins or adding unnecessary additional sugar to their diet.
Enter MadeFrom, a supplements company headquartered in New Zealand, which is now making its debut in Singapore with an All Natural Vitamin C Gummy for Kids. Their vision is to set a new benchmark in supplements with high-quality ingredients that focus on using real food instead of synthetic vitamins in a format that is simpler, healthier and more fun for families – who doesn’t love gummies? The Vitamin C in MadeFrom gummies is sourced entirely from acerola cherries, and the product is 100% natural (and vegan friendly!), unlike other Vitamin C gummy supplements on the market (we checked!).
To find out more, we chatted with Debbie Wong from MadeFrom about what makes these vitamin gummies so special and the benefits of taking supplements to improve our health.
1. Hi, Debbie! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us today. Can you share a little about yourself and your family?
My husband and I are originally from New Zealand, and we have called this little red dot home for the past 12 years. Since our arrival, I’ve navigated a few different roles and been lucky enough to watch our three young children grow up. As a family, we live a fairly active lifestyle, but our kids are the happiest when we’re in Australia at the beach or on the farm that my husband grew up on. By living in Singapore and going home for holidays, I feel like the kids get the best of both worlds!
For many years I worked as a lawyer, and while law and health supplements may seem like a large leap apart, those years in law also provided me with the skills I needed to navigate the highly regulated supplements markets. My role as a lawyer was not distinctively different from what we are trying to achieve at MadeFrom, where we are analysing and actively looking for ways to solve a problem for parents.
We have been fortunate to work with some of the most talented experts in the nutraceutical, nutritionist and food technology space to create a high quality supplement with a focus on real food in a format that’s simpler, healthier and more fun for families to enjoy. So, we feel confident that what we’re offering is the best that there can be.
2. What inspired you to launch MadeFrom in Singapore?
I grew up with parents who ran their own businesses, so from a very young age, their influence stoked a desire and passion in me to do something entrepreneurial. I have always had a strong interest in the health and wellness space, so starting something in this industry seemed like a natural progression for me. Having experienced the frustration myself of trying to find a natural and healthy supplement to give our children, it became clear that there was a gap in the market! So this was truly a labour of love trying to create something that other parents would resonate with.
3. Can you tell us about the brand?
At MadeFrom, we believe the best for our body will always be real food – so that’s where we start. This means starting with natural, recognisable ingredients from the land, not labs. As the most structurally identical match to the food we eat, natural and food-based supplements are designed by nature to be naturally bioavailable and bioactive for easy absorption.
Transparency is also one of our core values, as we want to build a community that is founded on trust and creativity. It is also the key driver behind our name, “MadeFrom”, – where consumers will always know what their supplements are made from.
4. Why are Vitamin C supplements for kids important, and what are the benefits?
Our body cannot produce Vitamin C on its own, so the only way to get this essential vitamin is through our diet. We live in a busy world, and getting the right nutrients every day can be a challenge, so we wanted to create a Vitamin C supplement for kids that was a natural, healthier alternative that tasted great.
There are no nasties in our products which is so important for little ones! As the only Vitamin C gummy supplement made from a real food source, using 100% natural ingredients with no added sugar, our Vitamin C supplement can help strengthen your child’s immune system, provide additional support when recovering from illness and support skin health and wound healing.
5. What challenges have you faced in launching your business in Singapore, and what does success look like for you?
As a company which is headquartered in New Zealand with suppliers around the world, our biggest challenge was (and still is) logistics. Like most companies, we suffered significant time delays due to shipping and supply chain issues. However, as frustrating as these issues can be, I’ve learnt to redirect my energy and focus on solutions rather than being impacted by things outside of my control.
Success for me means ensuring the right balance in our family. I want to have a business role which stimulates and challenges me intellectually, but alongside that, my top priority is making sure everyone is happy and healthy!
Thank you to Debbie Wong for sharing her story with us! Find out more about MadeFrom.
