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On a mission to improve sleep, relaxation, and the ways we think about both.

 

Celesta partners with cutting-edge manufacturers and highly attuned food and supplement brands to promote better sleep and relaxation through clinically tested ingredients and proprietary wellness technologies.

  • As a society, we’re fatigued, overloaded, anxious, stressed, and generally trying to do more with less. We’ve seen this—in family, friends, colleagues, ourselves—compound at a staggering rate over the last decade, so we decided to do something about it. This is why Celesta exists.

    We’re here to change lives through science-based technologies and solutions that address the unprecedented need for sleep and relaxation, for better rest and, ultimately, for restoration. Of our bodies, our minds, and our shared desire to enjoy every last minute of life.

    As a team of industry veterans, it’s what we’ve been working our entire lives toward, and it’s an honor and a joy to be pioneering, formulating, and testing technologies that make all of our lives better on a daily basis.

  • At our founding, it was crucial for us to partner with the highest quality, most reliable suppliers, and we’ve worked diligently to establish a diverse network of partner suppliers who meet and share our standards. And as a woman-owned company (WBENC certification pending) committed to making better sleep and relaxation more accessible to all, we’re committed to corporate equity and inclusion.

  • Having identified and addressed a white space in the sleep and relaxation categories, our proprietary blends Celesta SlumberMor™ and Celesta RnRMor™ are now patent pending. These branded ingredients lay the foundation for an entire sleep and relaxation platform, including ingredient bundles, proprietary technologies, CPG sleep, relaxation products, and wearables.

 

Celesta Partners with Caldic North America

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Celesta Partners with Caldic North America ↗

 

The Five

Vitality
Pathways

From ingredient blends to wearables, each of our wellness solutions is based upon and interacts with the body’s five vitality pathways to better sleep, deeper relaxation, and holistic, restorative wellness.

01 Stress Reduction

02 Relaxation/Sleep Induction

03 Sleep Duration

04 Body Recovery

05 Mood Stabilization

01

Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, is great for the mobilization of energy in a crisis, but it can become a nuisance if doesn’t wind down before bedtime. Stress Reduction is achieved in many ways, but we’re addressing it directly by regulating cortisol levels.

02

The neurotransmitter GABA is responsible for “quieting” brain activity. Consequently, GABA has been found to underpin several key sleep components, including circadian rhythms, REM, and Relaxation/Sleep Induction. We’re leveraging that knowledge to bring GABA into alignment.

03

The most universally addressed pathway is Sleep Duration. Many factors, like stress, smoking, or too little natural light, can shorten sleep time. Though some of these are beyond our control, melatonin, a natural hormone, can mitigate sleep disruptors.

04

Sleep is thought to help your tissues repair and replenish, aiding Body Recovery. We’re on a mission to augment this process to help the body heal itself.

05

If Mood Stabilization is the fifth pathway to restoration, this path is ruled by the neurotransmitter serotonin. We utilize a combination of ingredients that help stabilize mood, happiness, and cognition.

Researched
and Tested*

Ingredients

 

01

Proprietary Sleep Blend

 
 

Celesta’s proprietary, patent pending blend of herbal ingredients designed to address sleep issues in a unique, targeted way. Clinically backed and developed to elevate CPG beverages, powder mixes, capsules, and gummies, SlumberMor improves the quality of our sleep and the nature of our lives.

  • SlumberMor™ is a patent pending blend that improves sleep by holistically aligning and regenerating five of the body’s vitality pathways, resulting in stress reduction, sleep induction, sleep duration, body recovery, and mood stabilization.

    Where traditional sleep products target some of these pathways only individually, SlumberMor’s proprietary blend of clinically tested ingredients addresses all of them in one blend, and when complemented by wearables, it provides the ultimate in comprehensive wellness.

  • After years of studying sleep products, patents, and the scientific literature, the Celesta team found a gap in the market and formulated SlumberMor™. Celesta also partnered early on with a sleep monitoring company to conduct a proof-of-concept clinical trial, expected to proceed to a full clinical.

    To learn more about the research and science underpinning this proprietary blend, we encourage you to get in touch with us today, and we invite you to read more from The Relaxation and Sleep Science Institute.

  • • Functional Beverages (regulated as dietary supplement)

    • Beverage Powders (regulated as dietary supplement)

    • Gummies (regulated as dietary supplement)

    • Capsules

    • Confections

    • Snacks

    • Bars

  • • Patent Pending

    • Gluten Free

    • Dairy Free

    • Manufactured in the U.S.A.

    • Non-Habit-Forming

 

02

Proprietary Relaxation Blend

 
 

Celesta’s proprietary, patent pending blend of herbal ingredients designed to holistically address rest and relaxation. Clinically backed and developed to elevate CPG beverages, powder mixes, capsules, and gummies, RnRMor improves rest, promotes relaxation, and supports every aspect of our waking lives.

  • RnRMor™ is a proprietary, patent pending blend that works to restore the mind and body by holistically aligning and regenerating two of the body’s vitality pathways: stress reduction and relaxation induction.

    RnRMor™ goes beyond the general calming properties of herbal products (teas, e.g.) to target the biochemistry of stress management and anxiety. Intended for use in foods, beverages, and supplements, it’s also designed to work alongside our wearables (in development) to monitor relaxation levels and help everyone reach their RnR goals.

  • After years of studying sleep products, patents, and the scientific literature, the Celesta team identified a gap in the market and formulated RnRMor™. Each ingredient in this proprietary blend is backed by human trials and chosen with care. To learn more about the research and science underpinning this proprietary blend, we encourage you to get in touch with us today, and we invite you to read more from The Relaxation and Sleep Science Institute.

  • • Functional Beverages

    • Beverage Powders

    • Functional Foods

    • Gummies

    • Capsules

    • Confectionery

    • Snacks

    • Bars

  • • Patent Pending

    • Gluten Free

    • Caffeine Free

    • Melatonin Free

    • Dairy Free

    • Manufactured in the U.S.A.

    • Non-Habit-Forming

 

03

Carefully Curated, Clinically Validated

We founded Celesta on scientific inquiry, and since then, we've collected studies, reviewed hundreds of potential ingredients, and selected supplier partners from around the world with precision and care to help us fulfill our mission of introducing the world to better quality sleep and relaxation.

 
  • Melatonin

    Melatonin

  • Spearmint Extract

    Spearmint Extract

  • L-Theanine

    L-Theanine

  • Hops Extract

    Hops Extract

  • Magnesium

    Magnesium

  • Lemon Balm Extract

    Lemon Balm Extract

  • Magnolia Extract

    Magnolia Extract

  • Vitamin B6

    Vitamin B6

  • Rhodiola Extract

    Rhodiola Extract

04

Realizing the Potential in CPG

Formulating innovative products that are efficacious and meet regulatory requirements is one thing; meeting the needs and wants of consumers is another. We're here to introduce you to both. Our team of experts is ready to advise you on the potential of our products to realize your potential in the CPG space.

 

  • Mocktails

  • Functional Beverages

  • Cosmeceuticals

    Cosmeceuticals

  • Gummies

  • Recovery

  • Coffees and Teas

    Coffees and Teas

  • Sports Performance

  • Functional Foods

    Functional Foods

  • Beverage Mixes

    Beverage Mixes

  • Cognitive Health

    Cognitive Health

  • Dietary Supplements

    Dietary Supplements

  • Nutrition Bars

    Nutrition Bars

  • Confectionery

    Confectionery

 

The Relaxation and Sleep

Science Institute

 

To further our mission, we’re developing The Relaxation and Sleep Science Institute (RSSI), a premier knowledge center for consumers and manufacturers alike to access credible information on the science of relaxation and sleep. Check back here often for updated articles, features, and studies on the science and technologies underpinning our work.

 

  • Why Sleep is important

    Sleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF)…

    Read More

  • Why do we Sleep?

    Although there is still no satisfying answer to the question of why we sleep, rapid progress in the last…

    Read More

  • Sleep in America® 2024

    National Sleep Foundation’s 2024 Sleep in America® Poll shows gaps between public sentiment and the effects of clock change…

    Read More

  • Sleep: A Global Problem

    Serious Public HealthGood sleep is necessary for good physical and mental health and a good quality of life. Insufficient sleep…

    Read More

  • Sleep and Sleep Disorders

    A third of the US adults report that they usually get less than the recommended amount of sleep. Not getting…

    Read More

  • WHO: Sleep and Health

    Twenty-one world experts on sleep medicine and epidemiologists met to review the effects on health of disturbed sleep.

    Read More
 

Executive

Leadership

Guided by science and driven to bring better sleep and relaxation to every corner of the world, our leadership team has spent decades preparing for this moment.

With backgrounds in functional foods and beverages, biotech, and CPG business, we have developed and commercialized innovative products for many of the world’s leading companies. We're excited to bring our passion, our experience, and our expertise alongside your team to create innovative new products and consumer offerings in the relaxation and sleep space.

 

Christine O'Neil

President and Chief Commercial Officer

Christine has devoted over 30 years to the nutritional, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, specialty ingredient and health and wellness ingredient markets, all of which she now brings to Celesta and its partners.

She also serves as CEO at Healthy Ingredient Solutions, LLC (HISCO), and prior to launching HISCO, she held significant business development and senior executive positions in the health and wellness industry for firms such as Johnson & Johnson, BASF/Cognis, Hoechst/Nutrinova, DSM/Tosoh, Chromocell Corporation, Ajinomoto, and Dow Chemical.

Christine has overseen the successful management of organizations and developed new businesses while negotiating significant contracts with global firms such as The Coca-Cola Company; Nestle; Kellogg; Herbalife; General Mills; PepsiCo; Keurig Dr. Pepper; Wrigley/MARS; Danone; Unilever; and many other leading firms.

David W. Lafond, Ph.D. MBA

CEO and Chief Visionary Officer

Dave brings to Celesta almost 43 years of experience in food research and development. He founded Lafond Food Technology, LLC, a consulting company focused on identifying unmet consumer needs to create technologies and new business opportunities that position clients for success.

His celebrated career has included positions with Kraft, Quaker Oats, Keebler, and executive positions at the Kellogg Company. He has led innovation pipelines, strategic development, technology scouting, and product-to-market initiatives across food and beverage, health and nutrition, pet food, and cannabinoid ingredient industries.

He holds a Ph.D. in Food Science from Michigan State University and an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School, with emphasis in finance and marketing.

Kim Pohlman, MBA

Chief Operating Officer

Kim has more than 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical, food, and ingredient management. She is principal of Wellables, LLC, a consulting firm for product and market management, and she has separately started, grown, and sold a successful food company.

As Director of Nutritional Ingredients for Johnson & Johnson, she headed the joint venture between JNJ and Neose that developed and sold the platform of designer carbohydrates to facilitate nutrient transfer into human cells. Also while at JNJ, she worked on the launch of Splenda, both as an ingredient to major manufacturers and as CPG tabletop packet.She also worked on Viactiv, Probiotica, Benecol, and Sesame Street Vitamins, among others.

She has held various global product and market management positions, including contributions at Hoechst/Nutrinova, ICI/SPI Polyols, and Unigen Pharma. Kim earned a BS from the University of Florida and an MBA from Benedictine University.

Jean-Pierre Montmayeur Ph.D.

Chief Technical Officer

Jean-Pierre (JP) has over 20 years of experience in bioscience research and technology exploration from both academia and the food and beverage industry. Prior to joining the founding Celesta team, JP was a senior scientist at The Coca-Cola Company supporting ingredient research.

He began his professional career as a principal investigator with the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), where he led a group investigating taste detection mechanisms. JP has co-authored numerous scientific publications, including book chapters on the chemosenses (smell, taste, nociception).

Jeff Sargent

Chief Legal Officer

After earning a B.S. in Chemistry at Valparaiso University, Jeff worked in product development for Food & Beverage at P&G. In 2000 Jeff earned an MBA from Xavier University. In 2005 he earned a J.D. in Law from Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University, and he was admitted to the Ohio State Bar in 2006. Jeff also managed the IP strategy development for the Global Respiratory business at P&G.

Jeff joined Kellogg in 2009 as Principal Relationship Manager in the Advanced Innovation team to manage the Open Innovation program. In this role Jeff managed the technical relationships with key suppliers and innovation partners to support R&D pipeline and technology development. Additionally, he was responsible for the technology transfer program's negotiating and drafting research agreements with universities and companies to enable collaborative research. Jeff also managed the IP program at Kellogg for offensive and defensive patents and trade secret protection.

In 2019 Jeff left Kellogg and founded Acadia Solutions LLC to provide relationship management and open innovations services specializing in the food, beverage, and food ingredient industry.

MarketPlace

Strategic Parner

Celesta is proud to be in partnership with MarketPlace, an industry leading strategy and brand firm focused on bringing meaningful success to global health and wellness brands that better the lives of people and pets.

Since 2002, MarketPlace’s research, predictive insights, and brand work has resulted in both the launch of category leaders and the successful growth and strategic sale of many well-known and beloved CPG brands and nutrition technology businesses.

“We saw great alignment among Celesta’s vision, the efficacy of the ingredients, and the market opportunity. Our primary research shows that better sleep and stress reduction are critical to human health and wellness. These markets will continue to grow through advances in supplemental nutrition and wearable technology,” said Tracy Landau, President and Co-founder of MarketPlace.

We look forward to continued and mutual success. Further details about MarketPlace’s capabilities and services can be found at https://market-pl.com

Start the Conversation

We partner with food and beverage, wellness, OTC, and dietary supplement brands to grow their businesses and broaden their consumer reach through the commercialization of successful new products. Join us as we change how consumers think about and experience sleep and relaxation.