Sustainable Period Care: Inside Viv’s Journey from Idea to Impact
Join re:COGs Host Mike Gelb for an Impactful conversation with Katie Diasti, ambitious founder of Viv, as she reveals the origin story behind her sustainable period care brand.
From questioning industry norms to rewriting category narratives, Katie’s transparency provides an intimate look at the hustle required to drive meaningful innovation, from moon cycles to production cycles.
Period Care: Go With the Flow, or Disrupt the Status Quo?
While working in a women’s shelter, Katie witnessed period product access issues firsthand. She funneled her passion for sustainability into exploring alternatives to traditional period care offerings laden with plastic and chemicals. Despite formidable incumbent brands, Katie saw an opportunity to develop clean, eco-friendly options while challenging taboos, making the category more inclusive, and changing the way people think about period care.
Victory for Your V: Viv’s Path from Seed to Scale
Katie leveraged her science background to pursue plant-based absorbent materials like bamboo. After extensive R&D, she launched Viv’s inaugural product, bamboo pads, and liners, in 2021. Katie bootstrapped initial operations from her apartment before raising pre-seed funding to scale. To organically build community and buzz, she tapped into her emerging influencer status on TikTok.
Strategic Retail Expansion: Novel Period Care Gets a Trial Period at FDM Retail
While initially direct-to-consumer focused, Viv soon recognized the value of omnichannel distribution. Katie details their deliberate approach to retail, using store tests to assess partner fit across sectors from drugstores like CVS to grocers like Wegmans. She explains the importance of securing prime shelf space and excelling during trial periods to earn long-term placements.
Alleviating Viv’s Viral Growing Pains and Operational Cramps
Rapid viral success stresses Viv’s production capacity, causing severe 3PL delays. Katie shares key lessons around planning inventory for sudden demand spikes and choosing manufacturing partners capable of scaling. She also weighs profitability and growth considerations, underscoring the need to balance financial realities with brand awareness goals.
Katie generously sheds light on her remarkable journey from vision to victory in developing a beloved sustainable period care brand. Tune in for an intimate look at the passions, pains, and persistence powering Viv’s rise.
Listen In:
Mike and Katie Discuss:
- Founding of Viv in 2019 to offer sustainable period care alternatives
- Developing bamboo pads and liners as first product offering
- Bootstrapping initial operations and raising pre-seed funding
- Building community pre-launch through emerging influencer status
- Pivoting from DTC to omnichannel distribution
- Taking a deliberate approach to retail expansion and testing
- Assessing partner fit across retail sectors like CVS and Wegmans
- Importance of shelf space, trial periods, long-term placements
- Navigating operational challenges like production capacity
- Planning inventory for sudden viral demand spikes
- Choosing manufacturing partners capable of scaling
- Weighing profitability and growth considerations
- Balancing financials and brand awareness goals
About Viv: Viv is a brand that offers eco-friendly and toxin-free period care products. The founders of Viv were motivated to create the brand after learning about the harmful impact of traditional period care products on the environment. Learn More at vivforyourv.com
Listen to the Entire re:COGs Series:
Tune in to re:COGs, the podcast series that examines the essential aspects of inventory management, supply chain optimization, and operational excellence, all through a COGs-focused lens.
Hear business operators and thought leaders from growing consumer brands share their thoughts on manufacturing. Through inspiring stories and critical conversations with top experts across CPG, food, fashion, and other industries, listeners are treated to valuable insights and actionable advice that can be applied to any growing business as it scales up operations.
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As we learned from founder Katie, strategically leveraging TikTok was instrumental to Viv’s meteoric rise. Katie’s savvy use of the platform to organically build community and drive viral product launches offers valuable lessons for any brand exploring social commerce.
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