Vitasweets: well-packaged vitamins

Vitamin gummies full of health benefits and aspirations

Health is the highest good. Exercise, get enough sleep, look after yourself tiptop and … eat healthy. Combining all this in our daily lives requires effort; and occasionally it is not enough. We then seek refuge in food supplements and vitamin cures – which we often do not keep up. Bad taste, no water to hand, forgetting …

Vitasweets from Merelbeke created a fun solution: vitamin gummies. They look like sweets, they are tasty and packed with health benefits. Entrepreneur Micheline Teerlinck consciously chose Marisan as her packaging partner. We checked with her why …

Can you tell us more about Vitasweets? How did the company come into being?

Micheline: “My husband and I used to take nutritional supplements. After all, it is a hot topic: everyone is concerned with health and likes to look good. However, I often forgot to take the vitamins, or didn’t have water available … and so, unfortunately, the beneficial effect disappeared.

Abroad, we discovered vitamin gummies: we delved into their action and effectiveness. Ghent’s Arteveldehogeschool conducted market research and found that there was definitely market potential in Belgium. That was important to me – after all, my entrepreneurial dream and passion to launch new things must be rationally explainable. That’s how things got started.”

What does Vitasweets’ product range consist of?

“The range consists of sugar-free fruit gums. They look nice, they look like sweets and both strawberry and orange flavours are delicious. Plus, you put them in the car easily so you don’t forget them.

For adults, Vitasweets offers a ‘Hair & Nails’ version for stronger nails and healthier hair, on the one hand. On the other hand, there are our multivitamins: an all-round vitamin including vitamins A, C, B12 … You can take the vitamins when needed or in spa form. The vitamin gummies also come specifically for children.”

You package the vitamins in boxes from Marisan. How did you come across Marisan?

“I had known Marisan for some time. Before the Vitasweets story, I had three large clothing and shoe shops. Before that, I wanted carrier bags from a quality, local player. That’s a logical choice for me.

Marisan is also a pleasant and highly professional party, with a good price-quality ratio and reliable service. We were immediately on the same wavelength and that’s how they supplied the carrier bags for my retail business at the time. Again, Marisan was an obvious choice for Vitasweets’ boxes.”

How did the packaging come about?

“We focus on the Vitasweets Hair & Nails gummies and selling them through beauty salons and barber shops. That target group requires a different approach than, say, pharmacies. You more often see pastel colours at hairdressers and beauticians, not garish colours or lettering.

Together with a graphic artist friend, we sat around the table. We decided on colours, fonts, design … The product had to radiate individuality, but also have a typical Vitasweets touch. So we knew very well what we wanted. I went to Sven from Marisan with the design. We worked out boxes that remained as compact as possible for the separate packaging, and a larger cardboard packaging that fits three jars of gummies.”

How did you experience the collaboration with Marisan?

“In a nutshell: as very positive. Marisan thinks along very well and respects our way of working. We like to work with short lead times, which is not always easy. Short notice is taken during the production process and delivery deadlines are carefully respected at Marisan.

A word is a word, and communication is also smooth. I like it when a supplier is easily accessible and gives me a quick, honest and transparent answer. When my idea is not feasible or sustainable, Sven will communicate this to me accordingly and I appreciate that enormously.”

What does the future hold for Vitasweets and Marisan?

“Soon I will go full-time for Vitasweets. This is exciting, but I am driven to successfully continue the story and share the health benefits with a wider audience. As we ramp up production, packaging will also become more numerous. At the moment, I still fold them myself – which is quite a job, I can tell you. I hope that production increases to the extent that I can no longer fold them myself.

In consultation with Marisan, I am currently looking at the possibilities of outsourcing the pleating and filling work to a local custom-made company. This will allow me to keep the focus on business growth while having an impact on the local labour market.”

We wish Micheline that she will soon no longer have to fold the boxes herself and thank her wholeheartedly for trusting Marisan. All the best of luck with Vitasweets!