KidsLuv offers nutritious, sustainable drink option for kids

KidsLuv

For those with children, providing adequate nutrition can be an adult’s nemesis. Whether it be picky palates, time limitations or financial budget constraints, parents are on the hunt for a healthy solution that kids will enjoy. Enter: KidsLuv. Ashi Jelinek explains that after having kids, she constantly faced challenges to provide the best food, drinks and supplements to keep them healthy and thriving.
“I found that I was searching for products that didn’t exist — especially around products that were zero-sugar and functional,” the founder and chief executive officer of The Luving Co. says. “This is what led me down the path to creating KidsLuv.”

Driven by a desire to provide healthy nutrition for her own kids as well as for other moms struggling with the same desire, Jelinek worked to develop a beverage for kids that offers a healthy dose of the things their bodies needed, without harmful sugars.

Out of this passion, The Luving Co. was born in 2018, along with KidsLuv: a non-GMO, vegan, kosher, gluten-free, zero-sugar, vitamin-enhanced beverage for kids. To boot, its 8-ounce, straw-free carton also is recyclable and resealable.

“We are passionate about providing kids and families with innovative, health-conscious products,” Jelinek says. “I founded KidsLuv on the idea that health and wellness should be available for the whole family.”

Jelinek says the brand is set apart from other drinks in the kid’s beverages category because, along with being packed with nutrients and formulated without sugar, KidsLuv brings sustainability to the forefront of the conversation with its sustainable packaging.

“Thinking green and sustainably should be a part of every family’s day-to-day life,” Jelinek says.

Another competitive edge for KidsLuv is that a mom trying to solve a problem created it.

“There is currently nothing like KidsLuv in the market. We are disrupting the kid’s drink category that has traditionally been filled with sugary juices,” she says.

Overcoming obstacles

Despite offering a product that meets a prominent need, Jelinek notes that one challenge the brand has faced is the current pandemic. With stores unable to allow demos because of COVID-19 policies, KidsLuv hasn’t had the opportunity to reach potential new customers in-store with product trials and samples. Because KidsLuv’s consumer base still is materializing, Jelinek notes this has been difficult.

“Being a young, emerging brand, it is so important for us to build brand awareness. The benefit is that we do have a product that is healthy, beneficial and a differentiator,” she says. “It has definitely made us think more on our feet and get creative about how to get the brand into people’s hands and build on our brand awareness.”

Looking ahead to 2021, Jelinek is excited to expand KidsLuv’s flavors, along with working on innovations centered on the vitamins in the product.

“Now more than ever, parents are looking for products with functional benefits,” Jelinek says. KidsLuv is solving that with a functional beverage that is delivering a new way for kids to get vegan vitamins into their bodies.”

Returning to her roots in Chicago after writing and marketing in California’s wine country, Sarah Graybill covers everything from beverage brand creative and innovation in packaging, to responsible manufacturing and products simply too good not to buzz about. Sarah has two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Public Relations and English from Drake University, but has been writing since age 8. Sarah’s favorite aspects of her role as associate editor are the dynamic industry wavemakers she gets to know, and the journeys and stories that make their products noteworthy.

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This important industry event is a learning and information sharing experience for warehousing, distribution and fleet management professionals who will have the opportunity to continue to share ideas and network with their industry peers in a safe and productive format as we continue to navigate these challenging times.