- Amsterdam-based Yoni, a femcare brand specializing in the production of organic cotton tampons, liners, and pads, has secured €2.3M funding from a group of investors including ROM InWest and Rabobank.
- The funds will be used for accelerating international expansion and brand-building with a particular focus on the German market. The company will continue its innovative research efforts to further improve its product offerings.
- Yoni, known for selling safe and sustainable period products without plastic or harmful chemicals, plans on expanding distribution within major retail chains and focusing on online growth. The company also aims to increase its accessibility at workplaces and schools.
Yoni was founded by Mariah Mansvelt Beck who initiated the brand in 2015 after a cervical cancer scare led her to study the substances females are exposed to monthly. She found these substances included plastics and synthetics among others. Deciding to offer a safer and more sustainable alternative, Yoni has been providing organic period products such as tampons, pads, liners, and underwear devoid of artificial absorbents, plastic films, and perfumes. Manufacturing these products aims to offer a comfortable, leak-free menstruation experience to women.
With 3,000 points of sale in Benelux and the UK, Yoni has recently entered the German market and collaborated with Alnatura and Müller. Under the stewardship of newly appointed CEO Deniz Er Wiedhaup, previously associated with Coca-Cola, Bol.com, and Getir, Yoni plans to consolidate its presence in Germany in 2024. Deniz Er Wiedhaup expressed her willingness to reach more people with their chemical-free and sustainable period care and educate them about menstruation.
In 2022, Yoni collaborated with the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam among others, with the aim of developing an over-the-counter probiotic in the next three years to help balance the vaginal microbiome, which will reduce the risk of UTIs, vaginal infections, and miscarriages. In addition, the company continues to work on and further develop its award-winning menstrual underwear offering a sustainable and comfortable solution for light urine loss.
The Rabobank Startup & Scale-up team said they are pleased to contribute to the (international) growth plans of Yoni, hailing Yoni as an innovative and sustainable pioneer in the femcare market.