Bird & Be — Canadian fertility supplements and at-home testing
The question
Enter Vietnam and adjacent markets, or move manufacturing there, without overextending capital or diluting the profitable core
Where we went
Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi — clinics, pharmacy chains, contract manufacturers, distributors
Delivered to
The founder and leadership team
What we were asked
A premium prenatal brand with real product advantage and a North American cost base. Vietnam looked interesting two ways at once — a growing middle-class consumer market and a fast-maturing pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. Which one to reach for first?
What we did
Sized the market bottom-up. Births, urban middle class, affordability and clinic density in two target cities — not a percentage of a national figure.
Mapped the fertility journey. Preconception to postpartum, and where the product earns its place — which is where acquisition cost and lifetime value actually live.
Tested channels in person. Marketplace e-commerce, B2B social selling, pharmacy retail and direct IVF-clinic partnerships, ranked by cost to enter and speed to signal.
Qualified manufacturers. Compliance, facility quality, capacity, cost and reputation — scored, with softgel capability as the gating requirement.
Built the partner network. Named counterparts in manufacturing, distribution, marketing, legal and capital, plus the Canadian trade office.
Priced the competitive set. Where a premium Canadian brand can sit against incumbents, and what has to be true for that price to hold.
On the ground — March 2024, Ho Chi Minh City
Agency working session — channel and campaign options
Droppii — the B2B social-selling platform we tested as a low-capital entry
Mekong Capital — local capital and consumer-sector perspective
Product carried to every meeting — Ivey discovery expedition, March 2024
What we recommended
Two low-capital soft launches to buy information before committing capital: a short e-commerce penetration test with targeted marketing where the buyer actually lives, and a parallel IVF-clinic referral pilot. Both with off-ramps. Behind them, a staged path — soft launch, hard launch, defined exit horizon — so the board could see the whole road while funding only the first stretch.
How it landed
In the final session the leadership team narrowed the mandate themselves: manufacturing cost was the priority, a multinational contract manufacturer with pharmaceutical experience the target profile, softgel the gold standard, registration necessary either way. A sharper question than the one we started with — that was the deliverable that mattered.
Client quote — to be confirmed
Space held for a line from the Bird & Be team, once approved for publication.
Engagements are published with client permission only. Others are described on request.
