Isabelle Steichen and Alexandra Dempster founded plant-based snack company, Lupii, in 2019 with a mission to help people lead more “plantiful” lives.
“We want to reframe the conversation around protein — it can come from plants and be absolutely delicious and convenient.”
Today, Lupii is a go-to snack for doctors, nurses and other essential workers — as shown on the brand’s “Groupie” IG Story Highlight — and is proving to be a pillar of nourishment for workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis. With less than five employees, Isabelle and Alexandra have a dynamite appetite for social good. They strive to make their product and packaging as low-impact and recyclable as possible. We chatted with Alexandra to hear more about navigating the reality of running a small business in 2020.
How did you start Lupii?
I met Isabelle in early 2019 and we quickly realized that we shared the deep desire to help people eat more plants. It was pretty instantaneous that she and I both knew we would build Lupii together and I would take the leap to leave my corporate job to take a shot at building something in which I so deeply believe.
Our collective and individual health, and the health of the planet is so tied to food and has such a powerful impact on the way we show up in the world. There is nothing better than doing this.
Do you have advice for anyone considering moving from the corporate world to start their own thing?
I think it’s hard to say, it is such a personal decision and has so much to do with the context of your life. However, I will say, if you love something and the water looks ok, remember you know how to swim. In my experience the big risks have always been worth it, regardless of the outcome.
Who makes your content?
We have incredible agency partners, Gander, that we worked with to develop Lupii. The brand was born out of many months of work together thinking about how we would tell a differentiated story in the protein bar space. We wanted to build something that aesthetically draws you in and is disruptive for the category — that was very important to us.
Tell us about your biggest challenge as a new brand.
Prioritization. It is much easier to preach than to practice. Every opportunity that comes your way can seem really fantastic. However, we have to be really smart with our resources and we are regularly coming back to our plans to think about and evaluate all opportunities to ensure they are laddering up to our strategy and are helping us move the needle.
What are your 2020 plans for videos in your marketing?
Video is a great way to engage with people. We’re excited to try Vimeo Create to see what we can do ourselves since as a start-up that’s the name of the game.
