Glenanne entrepreneur wins award ahead of planned launch of unflavoured children’s vitamin

A County Armagh mother is preparing to launch a children’s vitamin product designed to avoid the taste and texture difficulties that can make traditional supplements challenging for some families.

Victoria Cartmill, who is from Glenanne, established Invisi Wellness and is developing InvisiVits, an unflavoured multivitamin and mineral powder for children aged four and over. The product is intended to be mixed into familiar foods and drinks, rather than being taken as a gummy, chewable tablet or liquid.

The business has already received recognition before its first product reaches the market. Invisi Wellness won the Inclusive Entrepreneurship category at the annual Go Succeed: The Ultimate Pitch competition. The local heat covered the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and was held at Portadown Town Hall.

A product developed around children’s preferences

Victoria, who is a mother of two, said the idea grew from both her family experience and her professional background. She identified that conventional supplement formats could create barriers for children because of their taste, texture, sensory preferences or difficulty with particular types of product.

“I recognised that traditional supplement formats, such as gummies, chewable tablets and liquids, can present barriers for some children due to taste, texture, sensory preferences or difficulties with particular formats.”

InvisiVits is being developed as an alternative that can be added to foods and drinks already familiar to a child. The company describes the powder as an unflavoured multivitamin and mineral product intended to complement a balanced diet by providing vitamins and minerals that support nutritional needs.

Victoria said the aim was not to expect every child to adapt to one standard supplement, but to make the supplement fit more easily into existing routines.

“Our philosophy is acceptance-first nutrition, fitting nutrition around the child, rather than asking the child to fit around the supplement.”

She said the product was created with children with sensory sensitivities or neurodivergence in mind, as well as children who may have difficulty taking supplements in conventional forms. The article does not provide independent clinical or regulatory verification of the product’s nutritional claims, and InvisiVits remains in development ahead of its planned launch.

Food science and business experience

Victoria brings qualifications in food science, nutrition and business to the project. She holds a First-Class Honours BSc in Food Quality, Safety and Nutrition with Professional Studies from Queen’s University Belfast.

She also completed an MSc in Business in Agri-Food and Rural Enterprise at the university, specialising in Innovation Management. The master’s degree was completed with Distinction.

Alongside her academic qualifications, Victoria has more than 10 years of experience in fast-moving consumer goods food innovation and commercial development. She said the combination of that experience with her perspective as a parent helped her recognise what she regarded as a gap in the market.

“I’m always looking out for things and I suppose, as a parent, and having that knowledge of food, I couldn’t see something suitable available on the market. I just saw a gap that wasn’t available for certain children. It’s a passion very much driven by both personal and academic knowledge.”

Invisi Wellness has been operating for the past few months, while InvisiVits is still at the pre-launch stage. Developing the product has involved reformulation, work with chemists and testing to establish whether the powder could be added without changing the taste or aroma of familiar foods and drinks.

Testing with children, parents and professionals

Victoria said the product was used in taste panels involving children, parents and other end users. Feedback from those sessions led to changes before the final formula was signed off.

“I only saw this product working if it actually was undetected when it’s added to familiar foods and drinks.”

She also provided the product to health professionals, occupational therapists and paediatricians to obtain initial feedback. Victoria said people who had tried it with their children reported that they could not detect a taste or aroma.

She said the testing process had included children in the experience, allowing them to know that the product was being added while retaining confidence that it had not changed the taste of their favourite foods. According to Victoria, the response was sufficiently positive for her to approve the final formula.

The business is now working towards a planned product launch in January 2027. Initial sales are expected to be made directly to consumers through the Invisi Wellness website. The supplied article does not provide a specific launch date, price or details of the product’s distribution beyond the planned website sales.

Award recognises inclusive approach

The award was presented after Victoria’s plans and product were considered at the Go Succeed competition. She said the recognition was particularly significant because it came before InvisiVits had reached the shelves and because the category reflected the company’s focus on inclusion.

“Winning the Inclusive Entrepreneurship award has been a wonderful encouragement and recognition of the vision behind Invisi Wellness at this early stage.”

Victoria said substantial time, research and commitment had gone into developing the product. The award provided encouragement as the business moved from development towards its first commercial launch.

InvisiVits is intended to be the first product produced by Invisi Wellness, rather than the company’s only planned product. Victoria said the business could eventually explore other age groups, different vitamin options and areas beyond food supplements.

“Hopefully this is just the start to prove the model of what we’re trying to do.”

For now, the immediate next step is the planned January 2027 launch of the Glenanne business’s first product. Invisi Wellness is expected to share further information and updates through its website as the launch approaches.