“We’re not a brand that stands out. We’re very subtle, and that was done for a reason.”
In Fitzgerald Power’s interview series, we’re speaking to people with different perspectives who feel they can offer more to the workplace, from the water cooler all the way up to the C-Suite. Today, it’s former investment banker Aoife Matthews of the Irish-founded wellness and supplement brand dedicated to female health, SISTERLY.
The global wellness industry is one that regularly makes the news, and not always for good reasons. Yet, amidst this noise, Dublin-based startup SISTERLY has emerged as a rare success story. Hitting €1M in turnover in its first year, and selling more than 1.5 million sachets across 40+ countries just three years into their journey, the SISTERLY founders – Aoife Matthews, Jennifer O’Connell, and Louise O’Riordan – have just been announced as finalists in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ireland 2026 programme.
As they look to secure their first retail partnerships Stateside – aside from the LA-centric hubs they’re already stocked in – Aoife Matthews of SISTERLY shares how the brand was born of a mutual frustration. “Though my background is in finance, I had actually studied to be a health and wellness coach,” she says. “And as I was coming into perimenopause, I was the person buying lots of supplements. You know, I’d buy things and then not even take them. It was a bit ridiculous. So I did this course, and then so many of my friends were coming to me and asking me about what they should be on, because they were all in the same boat. And I thought, God, even after a one-year course, I have more questions than answers.”
At the time, Jennifer O’Connell, whose sister was a friend of Matthews’, was struggling with her immunity. She also got in touch with Matthews for help. As they both discussed their confusion with the space, Jenny directed Aoife towards a friend of hers in LA, who was working with brands at the forefront of wellness, like Dr Barbara Sturm. “I said, oh my God, that’s Louise O’Riordan – I used to live with her in London!” Immediately, the three bonded over the nature of the industry and decided to take it into their own hands.
They did this by creating The Elevator, the brand’s flagship product, which fused rigorous science with personal need. Created with the backing of a team of experts, including formulation expert Dr Daniel Jones, the SISTERLY founders created a space for their panel to create with absolute freedom, eventually creating a gold-standard product without budget constraints. The result? An advanced daily multi-nutrient packet engineered with 23 bioavailable ingredients specifically optimised for female physiology.
However, then comes communicating that much. “Women don’t have the time to do all the research to figure out what they should be taking,” she says. “So for us, it had to be a very simple, easy solution. And a very trusted one as well.” Crucially, they knew their market – busy 40+ women, who also want to look after their health – needed a trusted one-and-done solution. “The last thing we wanted to do was bring out a range of supplements,” she says. “We just have the one. And we’re also completely open as to what’s in there. That even translates as far as the packaging. Our box is simple; it doesn’t shout out at you. It’s your essentials done really well, like a great pair of jeans and a white T-shirt.”
SISTERLY’s distribution strategy was originally modelled around its dosage requirements: a subscription model that caters to taking one sachet every day. That said, it has also been added to the shelves of a suite of luxury bricks-and-mortar retailers such as Brown Thomas and Harrods. “The majority of our sales are via our website, and the real benefit of that is then you get to know your customer, which is so important for us,” she says. “Because that’s the whole SISTERLY vibe and community.” On the SISTERLY website, consumers can sign up to a one-month or three-month subscription, with a delivery arriving each month. Subsequent boxes come as refills, creating a sustainable model for the discerning shopper. “It’s all about trying to make it as easy for people to actually stay consistent.”
At the same time, Matthews admits, some people will never buy online. “They want to have that touch and feel,” she says. “We always said we would just partner with a couple of retailers at each location, like Meaghers Pharmacy and Brown Thomas, but predominantly our sales are all subscription.” Have they ever had to say no to certain brands who want to stock their products, but don’t align with their values? “Yes,” she smiles. “We’re not a brand that stands out on the shelves. We are very subtle, and that was done for a reason. It’s a considered purchase, so we’re not going to be stocked in a Boots or Holland & Barrett.”
Recently, The Elevator has experienced “phenomenal” success in London, doubling their revenue over the past few months. According to Matthews, this has largely been down to a suite of great ambassadors, like wellness advocate Liz Earle. “When people talk about it, word spreads like wildfire,” Matthews says. “Which is what you want.” The UK market was originally tough to crack, she says, purely down to being bigger than what they were used to with Ireland. But with growth felt there, sights are now firmly set on scaling into the US. “We deliver directly to customers in the US from here, but we’re now just trying a few new distribution channels,” she says. “Tomorrow, we’re launching with TelyRx, which is an online pharmacy chain. So when people get prescriptions via them, they’ll be recommending The Elevator. Which is a different kind of strategy, but I think it’ll be brilliant to see how that works in the US.”
Convincing people they need a premium product is not what SISTERLY is all about. Instead, they stand back and let their formulations do the work. “A lot of people don’t realise that there are variations of all of the different nutrients,” she says. “It’s like buying corned beef versus organic. B12, for example, has two main forms. The bioavailable one is 10 times more expensive than the synthetic version, yet most manufacturers will use that because it’s 10 times cheaper. And how the hell are you supposed to know the difference between the two? So for us, while a bit of education is involved, trust is crucial. And thanks to our panel of experts, our commitment to not using excipients [sugars, fillers and binding agents], and the benefits people get from taking our products, we have thankfully gotten to a place where we have that. We’re very black and white; we’re overly cautious and, ultimately, we left our careers to do this, so why wouldn’t we do it right?”
Above all, SISTERLY has proven that modern wellness products must offer more than what is inside the box if they want success. By building an ecosystem around education, digital content, and support – including a podcast – the founders have grown the business from a sachet on a shelf into a holistic health platform. That said, they’ve remained true to their core beliefs. “We always say that we made this for our mothers, sisters, girlfriends, and ourselves,” she says. “And it’s true. All of our mothers take it, and at the end of the day… you’re not going to give her anything that is not the best.”
The greatest thing she’s learned since starting this journey? “When you have a passion about something, you have to try and deliver it,” she says. “It’s really tough running a business. You know, I worked on the trading floor in London for years. It was exhausting, but this is much more intense, because you’re always thinking about it. But when we get feedback from women, it makes it all worthwhile. I know I can speak for the girls as well when I say we’re so delighted we took that jump, because I think if you want to do something… you have to just do it.”
You can follow Aoife on LinkedIn here, or visit SISTERLY’s website here.
