# #103 Reimagining Multivitamins: Tend's Real Food Supplements for Pregnancy and Beyond with Co-Founders Hannah & Behzad Varamini

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2023-08-15
- Length: 44m
- Episode: 80
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2023-08-15-103-reimagining-multivitamins-tends-real-food-supplements-for-pregnancy-and-beyo
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/ae080897

## Summary

Hannah and Behzad Varamini, co-founders of Tend, explain how they transformed a personal struggle with prenatal vitamins into a line of snackable, real-food bars. They detail the transition from kitchen science experiments to commercialization, highlighting the challenges of formulation, self-manufacturing in a commercial kitchen, and the pivot to a contract manufacturer. The founders discuss their participation in the Target Forward Founders and SKU accelerators, leveraging consumer data to refine product size and pricing, and their strategy for retail expansion and community building at events like Expo West.

## Outline

1. Introduction: Tend's Real Food Prenatal Bars and Founders' Backgrounds
2. Formulation: From Synthetic Pills to Real Food Ingredients and Flavor Masking
3. Early Manufacturing: Self-Producing in a Commercial Kitchen During the Pandemic
4. Accelerators: Lessons from Target Forward Founders and SKU Programs
5. Retail Strategy: Shelf Placement, Form Factor, and Pricing Insights from Whole Foods
6. Expo West and Networking: Walking the Floor, Influencers, and Investors
7. Leadership: Dividing Responsibilities and Managing as Married Co-Founders
8. Future Roadmap: Seasonal Flavors and Expanding to Kids and Postpartum Nutrition

## Topics

- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Tend (product)
- Target Forward Founders Accelerator (other)
- SKU (other)
- Whole Foods (company)
- City Capital (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [What It Really Takes To Build a Food Business: Part 1](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-10-18-what-it-really-takes-to-build-a-food-business-part-1) (How I Built This)
- [MadeGood: Salma and Nima Fotovat Lost Their First Business. They Grew Their Next One Into a Snack Giant.](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-08-10-madegood-salma-and-nima-fotovat-lost-their-first-business-they-grew-their-next-o) (How I Built This)
- [168 - John Shin makes taking your vitamins FUN and sustainable!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2022-11-22-168-john-shin-makes-taking-your-vitamins-fun-and-sustainable) (People of Packaging)
- [360 - Beyond the Die Line - The pitch was awful. They liked the bar! Tom Seymour and Ree Dolnick](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2026-10-08-360-beyond-the-die-line-the-pitch-was-awful-they-liked-the-bar-tom-seymour-and-r) (People of Packaging)
- [nutpods: Madeline Haydon](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-05-13-nutpods-madeline-haydon) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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