Exciting times ahead for Cork supplement company

Worrying about cash flow can definitely disrupt a good night’s sleep.

That’s the honest admission of Dr Paula Gaynor, who with her husband Mark Clifford, founded SOMEGA, one of Ireland’s leading innovators in the health supplement sector.

The Cork couple founded the business in 2019 as part of a personal quest for high-quality supplements for their children.

“As a nutritionist, I was very conscious of the role nutrition can play in overall health, most especially for children for whom omega-3s are a key nutrient in ensuring healthy brain development,” said Paula.

“Oily fish (such as salmon and mackerel) is the best food source of omega-3s but our three children refused to eat fish and so I started looking for high quality omega-3 supplements. 

It soon became clear that there was a real need for an alternative to the current offerings of unpalatable fish oil and hard-to-swallow capsules.

“Confident that Mark (a food scientist) and I had the knowledge, capability and drive to address this real opening in the market, we decided to take the plunge, and set up our own company,” said Bandon-based Paula.

Their first product - Easy Omega-3 & Vitamin D3 - was a smoothie-like supplement which can be enjoyed by both children and adults. The product range has expanded to include Liposomal Vitamin C, Collagen and a range of Vitamin D and B supplements suitable for the whole family.

“Our Liposomal Quercetin product won the Best New Product in the Rude Health awards earlier this year. The products are backed by over 40 years of food science and nutritional expertise and are formulated to be effective, well absorbed and enjoyable to take,” said Paula.

She admits it’s a crowded market but what sets them apart is that they are uniquely science-driven and research-focused, which is reassuring to consumers that purchase the products. Innovation is at the core of everything they do and they’ve recently launched a new Collagen Plus product.

It’s already in huge demand, so much so that we ran out of stock far quicker than we had originally anticipated! 

"Collagen is a protein that gives strength, structure and elasticity to our skin, and research shows that collagen supplementation can delay and improve the signs of skin ageing by decreasing facial wrinkles and improving skin hydration and elasticity.

“While there are many collagen supplements in the market, ours is unique because we researched all of the ingredients in-depth and formulated it to contain not just marine collagen, but also 12 other ingredients all working together, including clinically proven botanical extracts, hyaluronic acid and nine skin-essential vitamins and minerals. Unique to collagen products, it tastes delicious.

“The feedback from customers on the benefits for skin, nail and hair health has been amazing,” said Paula.

This summer, SOMEGA have started exporting to China, which is a very exciting development as they further expand the business.

Like all businesses, the journey hasn’t been without its ups and downs.

“The biggest challenge so far has been cash flow. As a small business, we frequently have to pay suppliers up front or receive limited credit terms from suppliers, so it’s essential that we receive on-time payments from our customers.

“Without sufficient cash flow, it becomes challenging to pay bills on time, expand the business, and develop new products. Worrying about cash flow can definitely disrupt a good night’s sleep!” she said.

The support of their Local Enterprise Office (Cork North and West) has been invaluable.

We reached out to them when SOMEGA was in its infancy as we realised that, as a start-up company, there was so much we needed to learn, and we could do with all the help we could get.

“We were lucky to avail of the many supports the LEO had to offer, from business advice, information and mentoring, to financial supports, including the trading online voucher, as well as feasibility and priming grants.

“The ongoing support we receive from the LEO is invaluable and, undoubtedly, we would not be at the point we are at in our business today had it not been for their assistance.”