Smart supplement: UK wellness start-up unveils brain health blend in letterbox-friendly packaging

28 May 2020 --- Wellness start-up Heights has developed a subscription-based service delivering its omega 3 capsule packed with 18 key nutrients, which target a healthy brain and body. The product is hailed as a “smart supplement” as it offers people with busy lifestyles a fast solution to supplementation. Notably, the launch features completely recyclable packaging, made of sugarcane starch and recycled plastic, and boasts a lightweight and minimalist design. The product comes as e-commerce is seeing accelerated growth due to COVID-19, with the brand reporting a 60 percent organic growth rise in recent weeks.

The service starts at £1 (US$1.20) a day and members get a monthly supply of the smart supplement delivered directly in environmentally sustainable packaging that fits through the letterbox. They also receive digital content in their inbox, including brain food recipes curated by experts to coach them through their journeys to improve brain health and sharper cognitive performance.

“We started with the idea of brain optimization. We examined urban lifestyles to understand what might be lacking and then combined the key vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and polyphenols to bridge the gaps. Every ingredient has been chosen because it has the most efficacy for brain health,” Joel Freeman, Heights co-founder, tells NutritionInsight.

The service starts at £1 (US$1.20) a day and members get a monthly supply delivered directly in packaging that fits through the letterbox. “It is one clever capsule, enabling better absorption and intelligent delivery of the premium ingredients inside. We’ve only included nutrients that are less available in the average diet, and we have optimised the doses in line with what the research tells us is effective.  

Our innovative smart capsules combine omega 3 oil, vitamin B12, blueberry extract and other high-quality essential vitamins designed with the brain and body in mind,” Dan Murray-Serter, the other co-founder of Heights, tells NutritionInsight.

Heights is the brainchild of Murray-Serter and Freeman, who began developing the company in 2018 after gaining a deeper understanding of neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to change continuously throughout one’s lifetime. They teamed up with Dr. Tara Swart, a neuroscientist and Chief Science Officer at Heights, who spearheaded the formulation of the product.  

“Unfortunately, most of us treat our brain’s health as an afterthought, only realizing its importance in old age, when it’s often too late. With Heights and the smart supplement, we’ve set out to upend the current cultural ambivalence towards our most important organ. We’ve developed a supplement that not only has nutrients most of us don’t get in our daily diets but importantly we’ve provided them in quantities that actually make a difference,” notes Swart. 

Mixing key nutrients
Each Heights capsule contains plant-based ingredients designed to contribute to mental performance, brain function and psychological function. The ingredients list includes blueberry 4:1 Extract (36 percent anthocyanins), DHA & EPA (from algae oil), pantothenic acid (B5), niacin (B3), riboflavin (B2), thiamine (B1), vitamin B6, vitamin E, vitamin C, iron, zinc, folic acid, vitamin A, iodine, chromium, selenium, biotin, vitamin B12 and vitamin D3. 

The Heights smart supplement combines oils and nutrients in a capsule that has been designed to slowly release the nutrients where they have the best chance of being absorbed, in the gut. The no-nausea formulation also means the capsule does not have to be taken along with food and that it disintegrates at the exact moment where each unique vitamin receptor exists. 

Complete recyclability
Each Heights capsule contains plant-based ingredients designed to contribute to mental performance, brain function and psychological function. The design of the supplement box minimizes waste and accurately delivers a targeted hit of quality, brain-friendly nourishment every time, the company says.

The outer packaging, in the form of a box, is sugarcane starch, which comes from sugarcane production and is biodegradable, notes Murray-Serter. The bottle is made of PETG, making it recyclable. “We are also in the process of launching our own closed-loop recycling program,” he comments.

 “We chose every part of our packaging from the bottle caps, to the box – to be the lightest we could possibly find. This way, we use much less fossil fuel in transporting your Heights to you every month – minimizing our carbon footprint,” he affirms. 

 “Every part of our packaging is recyclable, but the outer packaging is already a reincarnation. It used to be sugarcane – a waste product of sugar manufacturing – until we scooped it up to make into our smart little boxes. Because it’s organic waste, you can throw it in your compost bin when you’re done,” Murray-Serter explains. 

“Sustainability is really important to us, we look at it holistically – not just our packaging and the materials, but our carbon footprint, and the ingredients themselves. We thought about the whole journey of Heights; from how we source our ingredients, to the methods we use to get them to you; and tried to make the smartest and most responsible decisions for the environment at every stage.”

Heights is the brainchild of Murray-Serter and Freeman (pictured above), who began developing the company in 2018.COVID-19 impactThe subscription services space is experiencing exponential growth in light of COVID-19. With brick and mortar stores mostly shut, online shopping is booming. “We’re e-commerce-based only and have seen organic growth rise by 60 percent within the past few weeks,” notes Freeman. 

The company is also launching a virtual event series featuring an “all-star line up” including actor and writer Stephen Fry. “Our expert-led masterclasses are designed to keep people’s brains stimulated during lockdown, but also equip people with the knowledge to look after this organ, as well as raise money for such a great cause. What a line-up of brilliant brains we’re bringing together,” Dan Murray-Serter underscores. 

Freeman notes that Heights intends to continue developing a range of “brain first” supplements alongside the smart supplement. 

“We’ve seen attitudes shifting to view health more holistically, linking lifestyle factors to mental and physical wellbeing. As concerns for immunity, insomnia and stress are growing we have seen uptake from younger customers who have seen benefits of supplements having knock-on effects on physical and mental health. Our current customers range from ages 20 to 70 but the majority are between 25 and 45 and our core customer group are in their 30s, predominantly female,” he concludes.

By Kristiana Lalou