With a deep family history of dementia, Lepczyk has witnessed the debilitating nature of the disease firsthand. After watching a series of her loved ones suffer from cognitive decline, she became invested in finding reputable products that support long-term brain activity. What she discovered was a market full of quick fixes that lacked credibility. As a health conscious consumer, Lepczyk leveraged her nutritional knowledge and leaned heavily into the science behind the MIND Diet (shown to slow cognitive decline and reduce Alzheimer’s risk by as much as 53%) to develop the concept behind Memore.
 
As a respected figure in the e-commerce industry, she took her 15-plus years of experience working with DTC brands to fill a white space in the market. Her goal was to create a sustainable, science-backed cognitive health product that effectively caters to a wide range of consumers. In the midst of the pandemic, she transformed her guest room into a lab and spent countless hours conducting experiments until she landed on the final formula for Memore. With the help of her husband Brad, the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab and a team of prestigious medical experts, Memore came to life. Lepczyk aims to help break the common misconception that Alzheimer’s is hereditary. Lepczyk hopes to educate consumers on the positive impact that high-quality, whole food ingredients have on long-term cognitive health.

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Health E-Insights: Was your family’s connection to Alzheimer’s the chief catalyst to develop Memore?
 
Lepczyk: Yes and no. It was definitely the reason why I decided to develop a cognitive health product, but the desire to create a CPG food brand really stemmed from my experience with infant formula. After the birth of our first child, I made the decision to import infant formula from Germany. It may sound frivolous, but a quick side-by-side comparison with any of the premium domestic brands will convince the biggest skeptics (my husband) otherwise. The contrast in quality was shocking and I thought, if the quality of the food we give our infants is this poor, what does that say about the food I am eating? It had a tremendous impact in the way I began to view food and my approach to health in general. And that is about the time I started my journey with the Mediterranean Diet.
 
So much of diet culture is extreme and requires dramatic tradeoffs to achieve short term results. The Med Diet, on the other hand, is all about balance and using whole foods in a way that promotes healthier living and positive social interaction. It was so appealing to me. Much of Memore’s core values and our holistic approach to cognitive health were inspired by the Mediterranean lifestyle. Seeing multiple members of my family struggle with Alzheimer’s and dementia also sparked even further interest in the cognitive health space.
 
Most people do not realize that less than 2% of Alzheimer’s cases are genetic and there are tangible steps we can take, specifically by integrating whole foods into our diets, to slow cognitive decline. This fact, combined with my overall interest in living a healthy and holistic lifestyle, pushed me to take my idea for Memore and run with it.
 
Health E-Insights: What led you to develop Memore at the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab?
 
Lepczyk: A lot of different factors contributed to our decision, but the biggest was the way the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab presented themselves as partners in our business. They believed in us and our vision for Memore from the onset and were vested in our success. They also offered unparalleled food industry experience and access to some of the most well-respected research teams in the country. For example, Dr. Mary Ann Lila, who is recognized nationally for her research on the health benefits of blueberries, works right next door.
 
Health E-Insights: What did the science show regarding the use of whole food ingredients?
 
Lepczyk: Science shows that a balanced, whole food diet can greatly improve cognitive performance. The MIND Diet specifically has proven to slow cognitive decline and reduce Alzheimer’s risk by as much as 53%. And no one has ever heard of it. The diet is really a combination of two historically heart-healthy diets, the Mediterranean Diet and Dash Diet, that has been optimized for the brain. It consists of 10 foods to eat, five to avoid and really emphasizes the consumption of the plant-based components. Our product contains six of those critical components including leafy greens, vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains and beans.
 
Health E-Insights: You talk about nutritional and diet gaps. Please elaborate.
 
Lepczyk: Nutritional gaps are places in people’s diets where they are missing key nutrients. Nine out of 10 Americans do not eat the recommended servings of fruit and vegetables. And even the most diligent of meal planners struggle to eat three well-balanced meals a day. Our product allows you to conveniently fill nutritional gaps in your diet with whole food nutrition. In one glass of Memore, you get over a serving of leafy green veggies, almost half a serving of blueberries, a fifth of a beet, and a fifth of a sweet potato, just to name a few. 
 
Health E-Insights: What methods were used to develop favorable flavor combinations?
 
Lepczyk: The NC Food Innovation Lab was really helpful in the product development process. They provided us with the knowledge, facility, and framework to successfully develop a great tasting product. Unfortunately, the progress we made early in 2020 came to an immediate halt when the Lab was forced to close due to COVID. I was forced to improvise and ended up converting my spare bedroom into a makeshift laboratory. The final product formulas were actually developed in that 12×14 room. The process of creating flavor combinations was incredibly painstaking though. Each change you make requires you to hold all other ingredients constant. And since our product has about 20 different ingredients, it took a considerable amount of time to create each small batch for taste testing. I would estimate that over a four-month period, we sampled 10-12 different versions of the product each day. And as a testament to our product, we did not get sick of it.
 
Health E-Insights: The product has a catchy name, and the product packaging is outstanding. What branding and graphic design process was involved?
 
Lepczyk: Our name Memore means mindful in Italian and was really inspired by our passion for the Mediterranean way of living. It is also a play on the word memory and cognitive health. Finding the right branding agency was extremely difficult. I started the process by creating mood boards on Behance, which showcases the portfolios of brand agencies and graphic designers. Once I felt confident in the style I wanted for Memore, I created an organized brief that helped the agencies better understand our brand, mission and product. I would estimate that I sent out close to 80 requests, of which I received replies from less than half. We ultimately decided on an incredible Germany-based design firm, and it was the single best decision we ever made. They have a unique style and are so easy to work with.
 
They used our brief to create a brand concept based around the theme of “Feeding Your Mind,” drawing heavily on surrealism art for inspiration. They really succeeded in making the various brand components thought-provoking while also adding a distinctly Mediterranean vibe. They were also very deliberate in choosing our color scheme and type, recommending a style that gave us a more sophisticated tone. I suggested a few changes to the logo type but otherwise was as hands off as possible because they had my full trust. I could not be happier with the results and we continue to work with them today for all of our graphic design needs.
 
Health E-Insights: Did the package design dictate the product price point?
 
Lepczyk: I actually did not factor the cost of our welcome pack into our pricing strategy. Our success really hinges on our ability to keep customers coming back. Taste is still king, but there are a ton of great tasting beverages on the market. I felt confident that the best way to inspire the brand loyalty we needed was to create a truly memorable customer experience. I saw packaging as the means to do so.
 
Health E-Insights: Where will the product be available?
 
Lepczyk: Memore is available for purchase on yourmemore.com.

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Sheldon Baker is a senior member of Baker Dillon Group LLC and has created numerous nutraceutical brand marketing communications and public relations campaigns for many well-known supplement and food industry companies. For Health E-Insights interview consideration or brand marketing consulting, contact him at SBaker@BakerDillon.com.