IT IS BETTER TO LOOK GOOD THAN TO FEEL GOOD

It is better to look good than to feel good!

No? Well, of course not.

But sometimes looks really do matter.

The story behind our flagship Tummy Fiber tin is one of those times...

It had bothered me for years that all the products I used to use for my IBS had packaging that was so...what’s the right word...depressing? cold and clinical? fugly?

And sure, everyone knows it isn’t really better to look good than to feel good. It’s what’s inside that counts.

But when I created Tummy Fiber I cared almost as much about the outside of that package as the inside. And here’s why...

I wanted something so beautiful it would make me happy to see it left out on the counter. I wanted warm comforting colors and packaging that looked like it contained something natural, healthy, and pleasant to use.

I put my real story and real picture on that package so people wouldn’t feel all alone.

(A small digression here – about a year ago I got an email from a woman who told me that when she was first diagnosed and really struggling, “there were some nights when it was just me and your little picture on that can.”  I get a lot of wonderful emails but this one made me cry.)

So I created a mood board of how IBS makes us feel. Hopeless, scared, anxious,  alone. It was filled with dark, dreary, cold, clinical colors and images. It was ugly and depressing.

We designed the Tummy Fiber packaging to give the exact opposite feeling. That mood board was filled with colors that were warm and happy and natural. It had gold metallic sunbursts to catch the light, so people felt safe, comforted, hopeful, and encouraged.

It was crucial to me that Tummy Fiber made someone feel optimistic every time they reached for it.

And this wasn’t just about something pretty to look at. IBS is defined as a brain-gut disorder. Everyone with IBS has experienced that vicious connection.

If seeing my Tummy Fiber made me smile, calmed me down, gave me hope, that positive association would let my brain and gut know this was my safety net.

There would also be no reason to hide this package, and keep it stashed where no one could see it. If I have one mission in life it’s to insist there is no shame in having IBS, or embarrassment in treating it. I’ve fought those feelings for years.

I wanted folks to be comfortable leaving their Tummy Fiber out on the kitchen counter to remind them to cook with it. Or out on the bathroom counter where they’d remember to take it. (And this was also for practical purposes.  Tummy Fiber only works when it’s physically in your gut, so it needs to be there 24/7 for true bowel stability).

Then I needed a label that gave a wealth of detailed information, so people understood the directions for use and that this is a process.

There is a wide final dose range for different symptoms, but everyone needs to start at a low dose twice daily and gradually increase.  I tried to elegantly cram all of that (and more!) on the label so that people could use their Tummy Fiber properly and get the results they needed.

Finally, I wanted my Tummy Fiber to look like the luxury brand it is. (Or as our COO Will likes to call it, the Cadillac of Fibers.)

Acacia Senegal is truly the highest grade fiber available. It’s a very costly raw material - typically 3-4 times more than any other soluble fibers I tested.

And it’s certified organic. Organic products are always higher quality and more difficult to produce, so they are always more expensive. Acacia Senegal is also inherently available in limited quantities, from just a handful of companies in the world that manage the African orchards. If there’s a bad crop year, they can’t just go into some lab and make more.

My packaging needed to be beautiful to reflect that value and all the happy hopeful qualities. That’s why we now have our gorgeous embossed tin cans. So what if those are usually reserved for fancy presents?

Tummy Fiber is a daily gift you give yourself, your body, your health, your life. It should look and feel like something special because it is.

And not to steal from L’Oreal, but you’re worth it.

XOXO
Heather

Who's Heather?