(Bio)Fueling the Fempire: Making Magic from Life’s Messiest Moments

Tampon moguls and Co-founders, Tara Chandra and Susan C. Allen Augustin shared their Here We Flo journey at MAD//Fest on the Female Leaders’ stage in July, outlining how they’ve built the best-selling eco-period care brand at retailers like Boots, Superdrug and Tesco.

The Early Days + Feminist Mafia

Beginning as best mates daydreaming about starting the “Feminist Mafia” in the university toilets, they decided there was a huge gap in the market; a significant lack of accessible, organic period care products in mainstream retail, which usually didn’t cater to immediate needs. They then set out on the mission to create affordable, accessible, and sustainable period care products that are both plant-based and biodegradable.

The business began with a successful kickstarter campaign. Selling 6,000 units, followed by grassroots efforts to distribute products to local shops. Their initial sales efforts involved direct interactions with local retailers, emphasising a personal touch and community connection, which enabled them to empower people to feel confident and shameless about natural bodily functions and those "messy moments," especially for women.

A Climate Neutral Commitment + Profit Sharing with Purpose

Here We Flo prioritises a green supply chain, aiming for sustainability from manufacturing to packaging, utilising renewable energy sources like biofuels and solar power. To do this, they focus on plant-based materials, using organic cotton and bamboo, and avoiding petroleum-based plastics and fossil fuels. This enabled Tara and Susan to achieve a B-Corp status with high scores in both period care and sexual wellness. 

Not only this, Here We Flo pledges 5% of profits to social causes, supporting partners like Bloody Good Period + The Orchid Project whilst collaborating with organisations that focus on ending period poverty, female genital cutting, and youth homelessness in the LGBTQ+ community.

Humor and Authenticity

Tara and Sandra’s primary focus is on the "Gen Zennial" demographic, who engage heavily on platforms like TikTok. As well as targeting Gen Z, the brand also considers parents of younger generations (Gen Z + Gen Alpha) in its educational outreach. Using humour to destigmatise topics related to periods and intimate health is central to the brand's communication style, making the content relatable and engaging. This strategy has resulted in impressive growth metrics, with a 141% increase in reach month on month and 500,000 new views in the last 90 days. 

With a love for breaking the "fourth wall", alliteration and terrible puns, and a funny, feminist and fierce tone of voice, they have built a sustainable brand loved by their community of Flo Babes.

Watch their session to hear about the highs, lows and (many!) lessons they’ve learned along the way!