A Letter from Our Founder
Five years ago, on April 22nd, 2020—Earth Day—Terraseed officially began its journey. What started as a bold idea to revolutionize an outdated industry has grown into a thriving community of changemakers working together to protect our planet and support the vegan lifestyle through ethical, sustainable nutrition. As I reflect on these five years, I feel overwhelmed with gratitude, pride, and a deep sense of responsibility. This has never been just a company to me—it’s a mission, rooted in love for animals, nature, and a vision for a more compassionate and sustainable world.
Before founding Terraseed, I had already spent over a decade building purpose-driven companies in the wellness space. My second company—an online yoga platform in Spanish—was acquired by the world’s largest conscious media company. And while that was a huge milestone in my entrepreneurial journey, it was also a turning point. I knew I wanted to dedicate my next venture to something even more personal: the health of the planet and the wellbeing of all living beings.
As someone who loves nature, animals, and long-distance mountain running, going vegan was one of the most powerful decisions I ever made. But I quickly ran into a problem that so many vegans face: getting all the nutrients I needed without compromising my ethics or the environment. I found myself juggling multiple supplements that weren’t even fully vegan, all packaged in plastic, with ingredients of unclear origin.
So I did what any mission-driven entrepreneur would do—I started digging. I investigated the U.S. supplement industry and discovered that it kills over 24 billion animals and produces 1.8 billion plastic pill bottles every year. That’s when I knew something had to change.
In May 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Terraseed was born. Launching a company during a global crisis was not something I had planned, but it became a defining part of who we are. We faced enormous obstacles from the very beginning—supply chain breakdowns, ingredient shortages, shipping delays, and a global sense of uncertainty. And on top of that, we were trying to do something no one had done before: create a multivitamin that was fully vegan, ethically sourced, and packaged in the world’s first compostable supplement bottle.
Everywhere we turned, we heard “no.” No co-packer would work with our bottle. No ingredient supplier had the exact mix of clean, sustainable nutrients we needed. So we did things differently. We built our own small warehouse and fulfillment operation. We worked with a manufacturer who believed in our mission, even when it meant months of trial and error. It took us over 18 months to bring our first product to life—The Complete Multivitamin for Vegans—and it was worth every single challenge.
From the beginning, we also chose a different path when it came to funding our company. Instead of seeking traditional venture capital, we turned to the people who shared our vision. We raised our first funds through an equity crowdfunding campaign, inviting our community to become part-owners of the company. Alongside that, we brought in a handful of small, mission-aligned investors who believe that ethical business can—and should—be the future.
This approach has given us the freedom to build our company with integrity. We don’t answer to shareholders looking for quick returns. We answer to our values, to our mission, and to the incredible people who believed in us from day one. And today, we’re proud to say that Terraseed is a small but financially sustainable company—cash flow positive and growing with purpose.
And here we are, five years later. We’ve sold over 30,000 bottles. We’ve launched two innovative, vegan-specific products. We’ve received multiple awards for our sustainability efforts, including the NEXTY Award for Most Environmentally Responsible Packaging. We became the first vegan supplement company to be accepted into the Techstars accelerator, one of the most prestigious programs in the world. We even petitioned the FDA to require transparency around animal-derived ingredients in supplements.
And yet, we’re still small. We’re still scrappy. We still face new hurdles every day. Staying true to our mission is never the easiest road, especially in an industry as outdated and resistant to change as supplements. But we continue. Because we believe in this work. We believe that the future of wellness must be sustainable. We believe that health should never come at the expense of animals or the Earth.
To everyone who has been part of this journey—our customers, our partners, our early investors, our friends and family—thank you. Thank you for believing in something better. Thank you for helping us prove that a different way is not only possible, it’s necessary.
The past five years have taught us so much. But above all, they’ve shown us what’s possible when a small, determined team comes together around a mission that matters. We’re just getting started, and we can’t wait to build the future of sustainable nutrition—together.
With all my heart,
Maria Cebrian
Founder & CEO, Terraseed