We built a supplement brand from scratch. Here’s what actually matters.

Intro

Building a supplement brand in 2025 isn’t just about finding a manufacturer, designing a slick label, and turning on some ads. 

With a saturated market, strict compliance laws, and a well-informed customer base, it takes…a village they say.

So, when we set out to build Junai – a minimalist supplement brand launching this April – we didn’t start with visuals or logos. We started with questions: 

What do people actually need? 

What are they missing? 

And can we build a brand that earns trust from day one?

Here’s a breakdown of what we focused on — and what we think actually matters when building a supplement brand from scratch.

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The Challenge

The supplement market is massive, but most products look the same. Everyone claims to boost immunity, sleep, or energy. So how do you stand out with something new like Junai?

Our biggest challenge was defining the product and the positioning before doing anything else. Should we go after energy and focus? Immunity? Skin? What’s already saturated and what still has whitespace?

At the same time, we had to think about the business economics. 

Could we build a sustainable business on top of the price points we were seeing? Would it work for subscriptions? For retail?

We had about 6 months to figure this out. Lean team. No time to guess.

Our Framework

Here’s what we did first — before a single pixel was designed:

1. Analyzed the EU supplement market
   
   • We looked at trends, gaps, and growing categories.
   • Used tools, research reports, and social listening to understand what people were talking about.
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2. Defined the right products
   
   • We didn’t want to launch 10 things. Just the right 2 or 3.
   • Our core idea: simple, daily-use supplements that fit seamlessly into modern routines.
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3. Calculated business unit economics
   
   • We brought all of of the costs together and calculated revenues, costs and profits (margins) per unit in different business model schemes
     like single orders, bundle orders and subscription models.
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4. ‍Positioned the brand and locked suppliers
   

1. Before naming, design, or copywriting, we worked out our POV: calm, smart, clean.
2. No hype. No magic claims. Just products that do their job.‍

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Go-to-Market: Keep It Focused

We decided to start with the Slovenian market, build traction and trust, and then expand across the EU. That gave us room to test messaging, operations, and community-building in a controlled environment.

Pre-launch, our focus was on:

• UGC & influencer collabs: Made a list of 100 people we want to work with from the start.
• No overhype: We leaned into content built around healthy lifestyle.
• Minimalist content: Our website, packaging, and socials all reflect our belief that wellness doesn’t need to stand out.

Lessons That Might Save You Months

1. Product-market fit isn’t a guess
It’s not enough to copy what works in the US or UK. Markets differ. Regulations differ.

2. Know your unit economics early
Before branding, before product names, before even sourcing — make sure the numbers make sense. Put all of the costs together per sent unit and analyze potential profit outcomes in different stages of E-commerce growth.

3. Don’t build noise
A lot of supplement brands launch with 10 SKUs, flashy bundles, and too many claims. We focused on simplicity and it brought clarity to everything else.

4. Trust is everything
People are smarter than ever. They read labels. They compare. If your brand voice isn’t clear and honest from the start, it’s a short game.

Looking Ahead

We launch in April. First in Slovenia, then slowly expanding. No fireworks, no fake urgency — just steady growth and happy customers.

We’re not trying to be the loudest supplement brand. Just the one people come back to.

And if you're building something similar: start slow, stay honest, and do the hard thinking before you build the brand.

It pays off.

In the coming months, we’ll be focused on:

• Scaling influencer and ambassador programs
• Building educational content around each product
• Creating community touchpoints around wellness, healthy living and healthy habits
• Testing retention strategies through email and reordering flows

We’re taking a long-term view. And if you’re thinking about building a supplement brand — this is your reminder that good brands aren’t just launched. They’re built, brick by brick, through consistency, trust, and customer love.

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