Why a Calcium Chew?
Why We Chose to Innovate a New Calcium Chew, Not a Gummy, Liquid, or Capsule by Adrienne Bitar
I recently gave a presentation to a class on Entrepreneurship here at the Johnson School of Business at Cornell University. One student asked me a question I’ve been asked before: why did Jenny and I choose to make a calcium chew, not a calcium gummy, capsule, or liquid calcium formulation? I answered him in detail in the class, but wanted to write it out here because I think many students (and customers, too) are surprised by the complexity and shortcomings of other calcium gummies, liquid supplements, or capsules.
Gummies may be popular, but they come with serious drawbacks—especially for calcium supplementation. One of the primary challenges is the manufacturing process. Gummies present significant limitations when it comes to delivering meaningful doses of calcium. Texture and stability become difficult at nutritionally important levels of calcium. This means consumers would have to eat multiple calcium gummies daily to get a sufficient dose, making it difficult to meet nutritional needs in a convenient way.
Calcium gummy manufacturing also makes precise calcium dosing difficult. Calcium must be evenly dispersed in a gelatin or pectin matrix, but its gritty texture often causes it to settle before the gummy fully sets.
This results in inconsistent calcium content across different gummies, even in the same bottle! It’s hard to make sure each serving delivers the intended dose. Many gummy manufacturers avoid this issue by using synthetic stabilizers or significantly reducing the calcium amount per piece, which undermines the purpose of supplementation. Calcium gummies are also sensitive to moisture, which can lead to the degradation of calcium over time. All of these challenges create inconsistencies in calcium delivery.
Another big concern is all the added sugars. Take a look at the back of a calcium gummy bottle and you’ll see that calcium gummies often contain a great deal of added sugar and fillers (required to achieve a soft, chewy texture). To make gummies palatable, manufacturers often include 3–5 grams of sugar per serving—nearly a teaspoon.
We also knew about the many shortcomings of the bulky capsules and pills. One of the main problems we set out to fix with our calcium chew was to avoid the bulky capsules or “horse pills” that you can find in every drugstore and supermarket. Large calcium tablets can be difficult to swallow, something we can all relate to. And we wanted to create a product that people look forward to taking every day—something that feels like a treat while still delivering real nutrition.
Liquid calcium supplements, are also another delivery option, but come with their own set of challenges. One major constraint of liquid calcium is the dosing difficulty. It’s hard to measure out an accurate dose every time. Liquid calcium bottles can lead to inconsistent dosing and less effective supplementation.
Another issue with liquid calcium is its short shelf life. Once opened, liquid calcium supplements are more prone to contamination, spoilage, and the breakdown of nutrients. The need for refrigeration and a short shelf life can make liquid calcium harder to store and keep fresh over time.
Additionally, liquid calcium often has added flavors, sugars, or preservatives. These added ingredients can detract from the nutritional value of the supplement, particularly for those who want to avoid extra sugar or artificial ingredients in their diets. Liquid calcium supplements can also be difficult to transport due to their bulky bottles, making them less portable than a chewable supplement like our real food-based calcium chews.
Instead of compromising with a calcium gummy, capsule, or liquid calcium supplement, we took on the challenge of creating something entirely new: a real food-based calcium chew. Our calcium chews are not made from synthetic calcium that you find in these other formulation. Rather, we use milk calcium, which naturally contains phosphorus and proteins that enhance calcium absorption, plus the entire complex of milk minerals.
We focused on creating a calcium chew that uses minimal added sugar and no artificial fillers, unlike gummies that often rely on sugar and artificial ingredients to enhance taste and texture. Our calcium chews are made with real food ingredients, offering a delicious, nutritious supplement that uses nutrition facts, not supplement facts, since we are a food product!
To answer that student’s question in the beginning, Jenny and I thought through all the various calcium formats very carefully and chose the absolute best option to offer real food calcium with increased bioavailability. We like to think that we’ve combined the best of both worlds: the proven benefits of milk calcium with the convenience and enjoyment of a tasty calcium chew format.
