Let’s face it: we don’t have enough time in the day to actually be healthy. Like many others out there trying to juggle the hustle and bustle of life, we sometimes forget the most basic things like, oh, I don’t know, drinking enough water?
Thankfully, in the UAE, we have one female-founded company that answers that very dilemma.
Enter Shake Your Plants (aka your new hydration BFF), a startup making sure your daily H2O comes with a side of vitamins, superfoods, and zero guilt.
Founded by Lia Coelho and Justine Dampt, SYP isn’t just another health and wellness thingamajig. It’s a company built on years of effort, hard work, and making sure they girl boss through every nook and cranny of the competition. And, of course, making one of the most enhanced instant drinks for everyone.
Think of SYP as the effortlessly cool, environmentally conscious bestie who reminds you to take your vitamins. By using real fruits and veggies and including the so-called “ugly” produce to fight food waste, their formulas make hydration feel less like a chore and more like self-care.
The best part? SYP is all about sustainability. They created packaging that uses less than one per cent of the plastic of a typical single-use bottle. Saving the planet while staying hydrated? It’s hitting two birds with one stone.
But how exactly does SYP work? Just add a plant-based hydration sachet to your water, let it dissolve, and boom—your basic bottle just got a glow-up. There is no sugar, no artificial junk, just real ingredients doing the most for your body.
And before you ask, yes, it tastes good. The flavours are specially curated (just ask them, the top two consumers of the product!), so whether you’re sweating it out at a Pilates class or just surviving your inbox by your desk, SYP has your back.
But how they came together to build a growing empire is why we’re here. Justine is a foodpreneur, triathlete and a certified nutritionist. Lia, a branding queen with a background in fintech, knows exactly how to make a startup the moment. Together, they launched SYP, raised their first round of funding, and even hit one of their biggest appearance yet: Shark Tank.
Yes, you read that right. Shark Tank. These two reached the heights of entering the infamous show. From pitching their vision to a room full of investors to the jitters and everything in between. We got some inside scoops on their experience.
Cosmo ME: What was the light bulb moment when you thought of Shake Your Plants?
Justine: I would say it’s really based on our personal experience. So, first of all, I’m a certified nutritionist and a health coach. The first thing that I recommend to people is to drink more water. It makes a huge difference in how your body is balanced and your general function. The first thing is to drink more water. And then, of course, you add a little bit more plant-based into the mix. There are many benefits of adding more plants to your diet. So when you do these things, you can already see an improvement.
And that’s through our personal experiences. The two of us have been through seven pregnancies– Lia has one healthy little boy, and I’ve got two little boys. And we both shared the experience of a lot of hormonal change and the stress of running a business. And you know what really keeps us on check? It’s drinking our own product.
It helps us to drink more water, to keep hydrated and to rebalance gut health as well as the minerals that we’re losing. And then we realised that actually 94 per cent of the population doesn’t drink. It doesn’t mean that they’re dehydrated, but they don’t drink enough water in general. Additionally, 90 per cent of people are deficient in at least one mineral. So, it’s coming from a place where we learned how to push the benefits of superfood and the plants through water. Basically, it helps people drink more water and better water. So that’s, that’s how it all came up.
Cosmo ME: Shake Your Plants talks a lot about wellness. But what does it mean to add wellness to this concept?
Justine: Our first product, Kombucha, we started with that because we thought ‘What is the most important function?‘ The vision of the brand is to really add wellness to the water that you drink every single day. But what does that mean? We’re targeting different functions. The first one that we think of as the most vital and essential for everyone is gut health. That’s why we started with the Kombucha. It tastes like an iced tea, a very mild flavor. It’s not like a strong Kombucha taste. It’s really like a flavored water that is boosted with probiotic. But we ferment the tea, and we use a base of Kombucha for that product, which comes in two different flavours, the grapefruit and the pomegranate. And then we have a third product, which is hydration made out of coconut water and organic blueberries.
The differentiator is, I think, the taste because it comes from real fruits, and you know it’s not some artificial flavour. It’s not like putting out your colours and ingredients to mush all togther. But also, we have an entire sustainability facet. It’s really part of our DNA to have this sustainability mission. And maybe Lia can tell you a little bit about that, very briefly.
Lia: As Justine was saying the biggest differentiator is that we actually use real fruits. We don’t add any sugar. It all comes from the sweetness of the fruits–the real fruits. For example, for Water +, we just add a tiny bit of Stevia at the end. It’s the last ingredient. So our products are actually not super sweet! We made it like that because I think Justine and I are probably the top two consumers of our products *laughs*. And that’s how we like it!
We use lost resources as well. Touching on the sustainability aspect, we use lost resources; which are fruits that are, bythe way, perfectly nutritious. They just don’t have a chance to leave the farm and go to the supermarkets, etc. But so we use those to make our products. Lastly, we use less than 1 per cent of plastic compared to bottled water and functional water.
Cosmo ME: Let’s talk about ‘Ugly Produce’, which is such a nice concept btw! Why is food waste a key factor to SYP?
Justine: Fruits like grapefruit, pomegranate, blueberries and coconuts are in our products. And because of the format that we’re using, we’re using only the powder. ICYMI, more than 20 per cent of the produce never leaves the farm, as Lia said, because they don’t aesthetically match the criteria of the shelves. But! Newsflash: They are perfectly nutritious.
For instance, the grapefruit might not be perfectly round. That would mean it’s not making the cut to the shelves. But because of the powder format we’re using, as long as the nutritional values perfectly match, we can use it. And the taste is intact as well. At SYP, we make the same nutritional value for every single batch. We’re very proud that this product actually uses organic blueberries from the UK, which I think is a premium product. Blueberries are extremely good for cognitive function. It’s high in antioxidants as well
Cosmo ME: So you guys mentioned that it’s not really just about hydration; it’s also about wellness. So how did you guys develop that connection between gut health and mental health? Was there a particular research you guys found?
Justine: Well, there was definitely a lot of research. There’s a saying, ‘The gut is called the second brain. ‘ So, when we launched our first product, we really wanted to target much more than hydration. For us, water is the vehicle that makes us feel better. Ultimately, you’re drinking water to survive and more water to thrive. So, we became really interested in gut health because studies have shown a lot of links between the gut and mental health.
For example, when you have a good, balanced microbiome, you will feel, of course, less bloated and have better skin. That’s what people see. But deep down, you’ll have more energy and you will sleep better. You will be sharper mentally and experience less fatigue. All of that is so important on the daily grind. It’s so important to nourish the microbiome with the food and the drinks that you consume every single day. So that’s how we made the link. And to be honest with you, we saw firsthand that, you know, consuming this product really helped us.
Cosmo ME: Let’s rewind a little. Both of you came from very different backgrounds. How did you guys end up meeting and creating a business?
Justine: Actually, it’s really funny because we almost met at an event. So what happened is that I was supposed to speak at an event that Lia actually organised about impact investments. So, I had a previous company making healthy snacks, and funnily enough, I was supposed to speak at this event! It was an event for FinTech startups, for which Lia had worked previously in. But, I never showed up at the event. We worked with a food scientist—by the way, our product was developed by a food scientist— so I sent her instead even if she didn’t like those type of events. So she was like, “I don’t want to go!” But I was like, “You have no choice. You’re going to go to this event!” So then she went and then she met Lia! She called me and said, “You have to meet this woman. She’s going to be your co-founder for sure. She’s amazing!” Then we finally met, had coffee and we never left each other. The rest is history.
Now, we start to speak and even look the same because we spend so much time together! We get a lot of comments asking if we’re sisters. *laughs* Like, we’re not sisters, but I think with the time we spend together, we’ve definitely created this sisterhood vibe between us.
Cosmo ME: Amazing! I actually wanted to talk about your #Sisterhood. Obviously, you’re both amazing women handling a business. But were there any moments where you guys had any confusion or misunderstandings? How were you guys able to patch it up?
Lia: We’re very lucky that we share the same values and are pretty much aligned 99 per cent of the time. So yeah, everything goes quite easily. I don’t think we ever had a misunderstanding or a fight.
Justine: I think we work very well together because we like working independently. Lia handles the business and all communication marketing, while I handle all the finance, operations, sales, and product development. But you know, I think the roles get defined on a daily basis, and we work very well, like independently. And then we both have the same vision. So I think it’s been working very well. I think we’re very efficient together.
Cosmo ME: I heard you guys won the FMCG award! Tell us more about that
Justine: Yeah! That was a great day! A great pitch day. So we were very proud because it was an award that is like a reflection of all the work that has been put into this product. Once again, it’s not like an off-shelf product that we produce at the factory. A lot of work has been done on every single product, on the sourcing of the ingredients, on the nutritional value, and on the ingredients that we’re putting in our product. So it was nice to be recognised for all of the work we’ve done in the past three years. Though it took us a bit of time, the recognition of all the hard work and all the product developments, we were very proud of that.
Cosmo ME: Gen Z is embracing sustainability, slowly but surely. How do you think your product would impact Gen Z?
Justine: I think they’re looking for a different type of fun alternative. If you think about it, soda is usually sugary. So I think it will impact Gen Z in a way that they have something to carry with them everywhere, which is not some sports drink. I think our products are much more lifestyle-oriented. It goes with the Gen Z mindset of carrying a bottle everywhere like the Stanley Cup. Whether you’re heading to a party or honestly anywhere else, this is going to keep you energised and healthy. Think of it as a great solution for on the go, but make it healthy.
Cosmo ME: What advice would you give to all the women entrepreneurs in the UAE?
Justine: Well, there’s no ‘balance.’ Everybody’s speaking about balance; honestly, forget about that. There’s no balance when you’ve got your own business. What you need is resilience. Resilience, resilience and resilience. You’ll get hit and hit again and again and again.
If I remember correctly, we had to recall 80,000 sachets one week before the launch in 2022, which delayed us by more than a year. That’s when we had to pivot and change the product. Things like that happen. So, you should really be convinced of your why. Why are you doing this? It’s a very long process, and it will test you every single day.
Lia: Don’t give up immediately. You’ll get hit with so many things. Like, fundraising is super tough. You’ll get a lot of no’s. And if you’re not resilient enough and strong enough, you will go down in the deep hole very quickly. If you believe in your product and your brand and what you have to offer, just stick with it a little bit longer.
Justine: And a little bit longer and a little bit longer and a little bit longer!
Cosmo ME: I wanted to ask you guys about fundraising. Entrepreneurs especially female entrepreneurs find it very hard in practically every single industry. What what was your experience like?
Justinel It’s true *Chuckles*. It’s very true. It’s hard in terms of the nature of the business that we are in. And it’s true; it’s no secret that women don’t receive any funding. We raised $300,000 (Dhs1,101,900) as a pre-seed round, and we’re now closing our seed round. And I think we’re very proud to have a lot of female business angels and investors on our cap table. And I think that makes a huge difference. I think female investors are great, I think mentorship should come as well in different shape and form to try to target this issue. My advisor actually advised me to find a good male mentor mainly so we can pick up traits and new persepectives.
Cosmo ME: What’s one thing you guys you wish you knew before starting a business?
Justine: Well, it costs three times more, and it takes three times more time, if that makes sense. I think in terms of budgeting, even though you try to be conservative, it’s always more costly, and you take more time. I think you’re never really prepared for how long it’s gonna take to really implement what you want to do. My point is that if you stay true to what you believe, and you believe that you have is a good innovative product in the market to educate consumers, it will take a bit of time.
Lia: I definitely think the timing thing for me. So this is my first venture as a founder and I think it’s the first thing that I’m actually creating from scratch. So it’s quite different from what I’ve done in the past. And I never realised how long it takes for things to happen because. As a startup, things move fast, but sometimes you get slowed down with different challenges. For example, suppliers, you know, like we don’t buy products off the shelf. We create them with the food scientists, like Justine said.
So the recipes and stuff take time. By the time you have the final product, the production comes. And then sometimes you have issues with the production and even with things such as a marketing and brand strategy. We plan everything almost one year in advance, and most of the time, everything that I have planned doesn’t end up getting finalised in that period. So we always have to like pivot and re-event.
Cosmo ME: Amazing. And now you guys officially went to Shark Tank, too!
Lia: Yes! We filmed Shark Tank last June. It should air sometime after Ramadan. I think they will restart the season, and we should air sometime around that period. I know it’s not released yet. So, stay tuned.
Cosmo ME: Wow, it must’ve been crazy. Tell us your experience at Shark Tank.
Justine: It’s an overwhelming experience because, of course, you record for an hour and they take maybe only 15 minutes of it, but it’s an entire day that you’re there. I gave birth to my second kid two weeks before that. Like the baby was here, I was breastfeeding and preparing the decor. It felt so unreal to be on stage, especially with all that happening. But then we managed to snag some deals, that’s all I can say. We were lucky to be supported by the Sharks in general. And I think it’s going to be a great episode to watch.
Lia: I think it’s the most useful experience we had. Because you have to think on the spot. I have to decide on the spot. And you literally don’t have much time, so they clock you, and you have to go in the back; you have to discuss and then come back and say maybe counter offer. Whew, I think that was the most stressful. And the music! The music is quite impactful; it’s nerve-wracking.
Cosmo ME: Random question time! If you could describe each other in three emojis, what would they be?
Lia: Oh, that’s a good one, I would say for Justine, the strong emoji 💪. Justine is a triathlete. She cycles, so she’s very strong, not just physically but also mentally. I feel she’s very strong. I wish there were a resilient emoji!
A running emoji 🏃♀️! I feel like we live in such a fast-paced world. We have kids, we wake up at five in the morning for workouts, to prepare them for school, to come to work and then go back, pick them up, you know the gist. Our life is just crazy,
Finally, I would say the smiley emoji ☺️ because Justine is always in a good mood.
Justine: For Leah, I would describe her as the female superhero 🦸♀️. Because I feel like she’s really managing to do it all. I admire her for that, and I feel she’s a super mom. She’s very patient! She’s a lot of things that I would like to be with my kids *laughs*. And then, you know, like she’s very efficient. Leah is very efficient. I definitely like the superhero.
I would say the nerdy one also 🤓 because I feel like she has some kind of nerdy part. She can go very deep into the details when it comes to reporting and Excel.
And then… the Buddha or the Zen emoji 🧘♀️. I feel like she’s very active and efficient, but she also carries a kind and very calming energy. I feel like she’s always composed.