Wendy Colson, RN, noticed women in her California-based breastfeeding support group could not keep their milk supply up, so she began baking nutritious "Boobie Bars" with lactation-supporting herbs to help new mothers produce more breast milk — a venture that turned into a $1 million business, Forbes reports.
Ms. Colson told Forbes mothers in the support group, named Milk & Cookies, pushed her to sell her bars in a larger market. She said she toyed with the idea for a number of years before investing her $50,000 inheritance into the venture in 2014.
Since launching the business, Boobie Bar has brought in $1 million in annual revenue, thanks in part to ultra-lean manufacturing. The business was one of 91 nonemployer U.S. manufacturing firms generating $1 million to $2.49 million in revenue in 2015, according to U.S. Census Bureau data cited by Forbes.
Ms. Colson said the bars are vegan, kosher and gluten-free, which helped the product garner widespread appeal among nutrition-conscious new mothers and those with dietary restrictions. Word of mouth also helped spread news of her venture and initially spurred sales, she said.
Boobie Bar products are now sold in roughly 700 retail stores nationwide, including at select birthing hospitals, Babies "R" Us retail stores and through Amazon's online marketplace. The product will also be sold in Walmart stores beginning Jan. 8.
"If [a new mother's] goal was [to breastfeed] one year, and at nine months she is worried about her milk supply — and eating one Boobie Bar a day helps her get to her goal [—] I feel like a million dollars," Ms. Colson said.
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