Yeubo Health was founded by Emilio Koumis, a UK-based entrepreneur who struggled with anxiety and ‘big emotions’ as a child. His grandad used to keep a jar of blue Skittles labelled ‘Brave’ and would give him one when anxiety took hold.
“It worked every single time,” Koumis said. “Looking back, it wasn’t the Skittles. It was the placebo effect. My grandad was using belief, positive reinforcement and a simple ritual to change how I felt.”
This same pattern of thinking informed Yeubo’s three products: Calm Time, Focus Time and Brave Time. Formulated by UK pharmacists, each multivitamin gummy is packed with nutrients to support the immune and nervous system, as well as psychological and cognitive function.
Launched this month, the vitamins are designed to be paired with a ritual to produce the desired effect. For example, steady and slow breathing to promote calmness, or grounding exercises to overcome anxious feelings.
Yeubo has taken social media by storm, garnering millions of views on TikTok and building a waitlist of more than 2,000 parents.
“I’ve been speaking directly with mums especially who have been telling me all the struggles that their kids are going through,” Koumis said. “I’ve come to realize that this is something people actually need – we’re giving children the tools so that they can grow up and understand how to deal with their emotions.”
Founder of Yeubo Emilio Koumis (right) with his Grandad (left). (© Yeubo)Building the brand
Each multivitamin is formulated with natural flavors and colors alongside key ingredients designed to support children’s health.
Calm Time contains magnesium, vitamin B12, lemon balm and chamomile, which are known for their relaxant effects, and Focus Time contains iron, iodine and vitamins B6 and B12 to support energy, focus, brain development and cognitive function.
Yeubo’s blueberry-flavored Brave Time is formulated with vitamins and selenium to support the immune system. (© Yeubo)
Brave Time was a little trickier to formulate, Koumis noted, but the team eventually landed on a blend of vitamins C, D, B5 and selenium to support the immune system.
“When you think of boosting the immune system, you think of building a new strength,” he said. “But it’s the ritual that is designed to have the effect, the ingredients are just there to support.”
To access the full list of accompanying rituals, all customers are sent a booklet which explains the story behind the brand and the science behind why rituals work. Koumis also sent out samples to a number of families on the waitlist to test out the products first-hand.
“We wanted to give some families the chance to give the product a go, and the feedback was really positive,” he said. “One parent said her daughter has already planned out when and where she is going to take each one and which ritual to do alongside it. It’s so reassuring to hear that, not just the parents, but the kids really love it as well.”
Investor interest has also been strong, he added, with initial production costs covered by private angel investors, and further offers in the pipeline.
Calm Time is apple flavored and formulated with lemon balm and chamomile as well as key vitamins and minerals. (© Yeubo)
“I’ve actually oversubscribed our pre-seed round,” Koumis said. “Lots of people want to be involved, but I’m being strategic because it’s all about the value it adds on, not just the money.
“I want people to come on board who really understand the mission and understand that yes, this is a business, but it’s also bigger than that. We’re more than just a vitamin brand, we’re a children’s wellness brand, and I think that’s important to convey because we’ve got big plans as well to expand in a lot of different areas.”
Looking ahead
Going forward, Koumis plans to continue scaling up the brand, with the end goal of helping families to integrate helpful practices into their everyday routines so that children have the tools they need to tackle ‘big emotions’.
“The ultimate success of Yeubo and the goal isn’t to have kids on lifelong supplements,” he said. “It’s about raising children to grow up knowing that they already have these tools inside of them. The vitamins will stop one day, but the skills that they learned alongside won’t.”
