Founder note

Emerald is the brand I wanted, and couldn't find.

A note from Mike Anaxagorou — principal founder of Emerald Nutrition, with co-founders Dr Carolina Gomez Cuenca and Dr Vincenzo Di Bari (University of Nottingham).

From the founder

On standards, system thinking, and the long horizon.

A founder note that tries to be honest about what we're building, why, and what it will and won't be.

What I think is broken in this category.
Founder thesis

What I think is broken in this category.

The supplement industry rewards noise. Bright packaging, hero-ingredient hype, undisclosed doses, and a culture of stacking products until the routine collapses under its own weight. Most of the people I know who care deeply about their health and output have given up on the category — not because they don't believe in nutrition, but because they don't believe in how it's sold.

Emerald is built to be the opposite of that. Quieter. More rigorous. Held to standards we can actually defend. Designed for people who want the daily ritual to disappear into the background of a serious life, not occupy a folder of half-empty bottles on the shelf.

The architecture matters more than the ingredient list.
Why system thinking

The architecture matters more than the ingredient list.

Most supplement brands are organised around ingredients. We're organised around routine. Foundation in the morning. Output when the day demands it. That's the entire architecture, and the formulas are designed backwards from it.

This is unusual in the category. Most brands start with what they can sell and work backwards into a story. We started with the daily structure we wanted to use ourselves and worked forwards into formulas that fit it.

What we will and won't do.
Standards and responsibility

What we will and won't do.

We will publish every dose. We will name every ingredient. We will ship batches that pass our specs and reject those that don't. We will not run urgency timers, fake scarcity, or stack-to-save merchandising. We will not chase trend ingredients into the formula.

The market will reward this slowly. That is fine. We're building Emerald for the long horizon, not the next quarter.

Read the formulas. Try the routine.
What I'd like you to do next

Read the formulas. Try the routine.

If you've read this far, the next useful step is to look at the actual products. Read what's in them. Compare them to whatever you're using now. The case for Emerald is in the spec sheet, not the marketing.

Start with the system →
The team

Three people. One operating principle.

Mike is joined by two co-founders who shape the brand from different sides — finance and strategy, and science.

Founder & CEO

Mike Anaxagorou

Built Emerald to be the brand he couldn't find: science-led, transparently formulated, designed for adult performance rather than gym-bro marketing. Owns the strategic direction, brand voice, and product philosophy.

Dr Carolina Gomez Cuenca
Co-Founder

Dr Carolina Gomez Cuenca

PhD in Economics from the University of Nottingham. Co-founder of Emerald Nutrition; co-formulated the original Supergreens product with Mike — modelled on what they wanted out of a best-in-class daily ritual. Now provides finance support and strategic counsel.

Dr Vincenzo Di Bari
Co-Founder · Science Lead

Dr Vincenzo Di Bari

Assistant Professor in Food Structure and Processing at the University of Nottingham. PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham. Co-founder of Emerald Nutrition; leads scientific analysis, product development, and compliance.

View University of Nottingham profile →

Read the spec. Try the routine.

The case for Emerald is in the formula, not the marketing.

Choose your route