SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bobbie, a new direct to consumer baby brand, today announced its first product offering, a companion formula designed with the modern, mixed feeding parent in mind. Bobbie’s premium ingredients combined with a proven gold standard European recipe and the highest quality German manufacturing standards now gives Bay Area parents access to a formula they can feel good about, direct to their doorstep.
In a new survey conducted by Wakefield Research, 83% of moms use formula in the first year of their baby’s life and of those, 70% regularly complement breast milk with formula. These new insights reveal the truth around the societal push to exclusively breastfeed, that it is not a reality for the majority of modern moms in 2019. Bobbie’s goal is to help moms continue to breastfeed for as long as possible by offering a companion formula with the highest quality ingredients to nurture their baby, giving them peace of mind, and acknowledge the unique challenges of modern parenting.
Bobbie was founded by two San Francisco moms and former Airbnb Ops Leads, Laura Modi and Sarah Hardy, who were disappointed in the lack of high quality options for their own newborns. “When pumping whilst working took a toll on my natural milk supply I found myself at a pharmacy desperate for formula in the middle of the night. I was reading the back of the labels with a laundry list of ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce or wouldn’t eat myself- like corn syrup and soy and I instantly felt helpless,” said Laura Modi, Co-Founder and CEO of Bobbie. “I wanted to create a formula that wouldn’t leave me with even more mom guilt. It’s why I’m personally proud of each ingredient chosen for Bobbie, and even prouder of the questionable ingredients that we left out of Bobbie.”
"A new generation of parents is being more conscious about what is in the foods they consume themselves - an awareness that is further extended to what their children are eating," says Greg McAdoo, General Partner at Bolt and lead investor in Bobbie. "I am very excited that Bobbie is tackling this market. If you look at most baby formula, high fructose corn syrup and soy are among the first ingredients. Health-conscious adults wouldn't eat that themselves, and it is absurd that this is what we are feeding our children. Bobbie's approach is different, with a baby formula that is completely natural, made from real, grass-fed milk. I think the market is ripe for the product, and I can't wait for it to be available for parents in the U.S."
New survey insights* from moms who have had a baby in the last two years show the top three things parents seek in a baby formula is not additional ingredients, but fewer. The majority of moms cited no artificial ingredients, no GMO’s, and no syrups, like corn syrup, as the top three most important qualities when choosing a formula.
As a next generation brand, Bobbie seeks to call out the societal stigma against moms who formula feed and highlight the reality that most U.S. moms use some formula. For the first time, new research shows the pressure and guilt that U.S. moms feel around feeding, with 2 out of 3 moms saying they felt pressure to exclusively breastfeed longer than they wanted to and half of moms in the U.S. saying they felt judged the first time they purchased formula.
“The reality is, most moms use formula and this silent majority should feel good about what they are giving their baby in a bottle,” said Co-Founder and CEO, Laura Modi. “It’s time for us to stop mom-shaming and have an honest conversation about how we actually feed our babies.”
Bobbie will begin taking orders this Mother’s Day, May 12th, for Bay Area parents and plans to launch nationally in Fall 2019.
Pricing:
Bobbie is priced on par with the U.S. organic formulas and more affordable than importing German formula. Bobbie offers a one time purchase of the product for $27 for a 400g box, and for subscription at $23 a box.
*Methodology on Research:
The Bobbie Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (https://www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,000 U.S. moms who only have children under the age of 2 between February 11th and February 19th, 2019 using an email invitation and an online survey.
About Bobbie:
Bobbie is a digitally native, direct-to-consumer baby brand that specializes in high quality companion formula designed for mixed feeding parents and their babies. Co-Founders, Laura Modi and Sarah Hardy were early Operations Leaders at Airbnb together. The company was founded early 2018 in San Francisco. Laura raised $2.5 million while pregnant and closed the round the week before having her son, Colin. San Francisco based venture capital firm Bolt Capital led the round with participation from Nextview Ventures, Lakehouse, and Precursor. Bobbie is also proud of its 16 person Motherboard, comprised of professional moms contributing their expertise to build the brand. Learn more at www.hibobbie.com.
