How the Diva Cup Became the Kleenex of Menstrual Cups

Business

Published 08.05.2023

How the Diva Cup Became the Kleenex of Menstrual Cups

Carinne Chambers-Saini and her mom had a imaginative and prescient to enhance interval merchandise after changing into pissed off with the choices available on the market. So, they launched their very own menstrual cup business in 2003, and their product, Diva Cup, was quickly carried in 1000’s of health-food shops and on-line retailers throughout North America. After Shoppers Drug Mart and CVS picked up the cup, the Canadian business grew from a $3.5-million firm to a $21-million one. Here, Chambers-Saini tells CB how she made it occur.

When my mother obtained her interval within the Sixties, pads nonetheless had belts and pins. She dreamed of a product that was easier to make use of and fewer wasteful—however she didn’t discover it till 1992, when she was studying a well being journal and noticed a tiny advert for a menstrual cup. She ordered one for herself and one for me—I used to be 14 on the time. It was referred to as The Keeper, and it regarded like a mini rest room plunger and was constructed from exhausting brown rubber. My mother began promoting them in her jewelry retailer in Waterloo, Ont., and in 1997 offered her business to develop into a full-time distributor for The Keeper.

By the time I graduated from the business program at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2001, my mother and I had concepts for methods menstrual cups could possibly be improved. We wished to create one thing that was smoother however had grippy ridges for simpler removing. We had a imaginative and prescient of bringing the menstrual cup to the plenty.

We requested a device and die maker to do the preliminary technical drawings, however that they had no thought how one can manufacture the cup as a result of they specialised in automobile components. Eventually, I discovered a gross sales rep at a silicone-manufacturing firm who may introduce us to a producer.

It took shut to 2 years to good the design, and we launched in 2003. We got here up with the title Diva Cup as a result of we wished one thing that expresses the highly effective nature of the product.

We began out with 5,000 cups and constructed a web site to promote them, manually typing bank card numbers right into a machine to course of orders. We have been promoting round 50 to 100 cups a day and had six workers working in my dad and mom’ basement.

“We knew that if we could break into the mainstream, everyone would see how great the product is”

In 2004, we went to a commerce present for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and had pace dates with head consumers of shops within the U.S. Many of them have been grey-haired males who didn’t perceive the importance of our product. We spent each greenback of our advertising and marketing finances attending to that convention and didn’t land a single deal.

Carinne Chambers-Saini sitting on a blue couch

Instead, we constructed a robust business by getting our product into 1000’s of health-food shops and on-line retailers throughout North America. By 2008, we have been carried in each Whole Foods within the U.S. and Canada. People advised us how a lot they beloved the Diva Cup and the way life-changing it was. That actually saved us going; we knew that if we may break into the mainstream, everybody would see how nice the product is.

We lastly landed our first mass-market account with Shoppers Drug Mart in 2013. Shoppers put us in all of its 1,200 shops throughout Canada; that moved the needle. Once we have been carried by this Canadian chain, we took that gross sales information and approached American retailers. CVS was the primary to place the Diva Cup on its cabinets, promoting it in 8,000 shops. From 2013 to 2017, we grew from a $3.5-million firm to a $21- million firm and expanded to 30,000 places. The good thing about being in these retailers was that it made Diva Cup a family title—the Kleenex of menstrual cups.

But our largest supply of progress turned out to be our biggest problem. We discovered ourselves competing with corporations like Procter & Gamble, who spend $300 million a yr on promoting. Brands like Tampax now have their very own cups. At first, it was scary, however it’s introduced extra consciousness to the area, which is what we wished from the start.

We’ve shifted our advertising and marketing technique from “This is what a menstrual cup does” to “This is why you should choose Diva.” Previously, we needed to persuade individuals of the advantages. Now, they know the advantages.

I’m proud that my mother and I by no means stop through the years. To at the present time, we’re nonetheless 100 per cent family-owned. We began with $50,000 of my mother and pa’s cash, and we didn’t have any loans or outdoors funding.

My mother retired seven years in the past, and my husband, Rick, and I now run Diva. We are constructing a holistic-wellness model and expanded our product vary to incorporate menstrual discs. We’re targeted on innovating to ensure everybody with a interval has entry to merchandise that work for his or her anatomy and circulation. We launched our new model identification—two years within the making—which is streamlined and trendy. We’re laying the groundwork for the subsequent period of Diva.

Five issues she loves

Chambers-Saini’s important sources of inspiration

The Mindvalley Show with Vishen

“Mindset and health are important for success, so I’m always looking for ways to be the best version of myself. This podcast is world-class.”

Tools of Titans

“My bookshelf is overflowing. Currently, I’m reading this book by Tim Ferriss. I love learning all the tactics and habits of leaders and icons around the world.”

Skiing

“I recently got back into skiing after a 20-year hiatus, and I love it so much. Going skiing with my family in Quebec is a great way to spend quality time with them.”

Celery juice

“I don’t drink coffee. I start each day with lemon water and use my high-speed blender and Omega juicer to make pure celery juice, which has been a powerful tool on my health journey.”