Pip Summerville is the driving force behind Tonik, an Australian wellness brand that’s redefining the supplement industry with clean, natural ingredients. It all began when Pip, frustrated by the lack of simple, effective options in the supplement world, decided to take matters into her own hands—literally.
With the help of her father, a pharmacist, she launched the world’s first apple cider vinegar capsules containing “the mother.” What started as a solution to a personal challenge has grown into a booming brand known for its single-ingredient supplements and transdermal patches, all designed with transparency and efficacy at the forefront.
In this interview, Pip talks about her journey from underwater photographer to wellness entrepreneur, how her health struggles shaped Tonik’s mission, and why staying true to her vision has been key to the brand’s success.
Pip, Tonik has grown so much since you first launched with the apple cider vinegar capsules. Can you take us back to the moment you decided to start the brand? What was it like creating that first product, especially with your father by your side?
Absolutely, I remember the moment so clearly! At the time I was working as an underwater photographer and was lucky enough to be working on a remote island in Indonesia. Back then I had already discovered the benefits of apple cider vinegar, so I was in the habit of taking bottles of it with me whenever I travelled.
Unfortunately, a bottle spilt all through my bag and as you can imagine, everything stunk of vinegar. The worst part was, I was now isolated on an island with no apple cider vinegar for the next week or so. It was then that I had this light bulb moment. I knew the only way to get the benefits of apple cider vinegar was literally by buying a bottle of it (which you can’t get on a remote island) but I knew there had to be a better way.
I asked my Dad (who is a pharmacist) if he thought we could put it in capsule form and it all began from there! It took 2 years to formulate, trial, test the first round of capsules. Our Apple Cider Vinegar Capsules have been incredibly popular and 9 years later, are still a best seller for us. We have adjusted the formula ever so slightly since then, but stepping into the world of pharmaceuticals (so to speak) has been fascinating.
Throughout the journey I have learnt to understand what is typically put into medicines and vitamins and it’s actually really scary to know! I know so much more now than I did back then but thankfully it’s the kind of industry that’s ever evolving so it keeps me interested.
You’ve always been passionate about clean, natural ingredients. How has your personal journey with health influenced the way you develop supplements, and what’s most important to you when it comes to formulating new products?
One of the biggest eye openers was when we were formulating, we were told we had to add all these ingredients to stabilise and bulk out the capsules. I was instantly taken back by all the push backs and “no’s” that we were given because no one wanted to dabble in making a clean, (crap free I call it) supplement. It has never been done and everyone was pretty scared to even talk about it (let alone trial making one).
My health has always been important to me, in my late teenage years I suffered with an eating disorder due to my competitive rowing career. I took aspects much too far and sacrificed so much, all in the name of fitting into a shape and weight that a coach told me. I suffered hugely from a health perspective, I lost my periods for a few years, my hair was falling out and I always felt tired. I never wanted to feel that way again and so I endeavoured on a pretty big self-help journey through natural health and it has been incredible.
The thing that is most important to me when formulating products is firstly – is it actually going to benefit someone? If so, how do we currently get the benefits from said ingredient? At Tonik, we want our customers to benefit from our products like we do – that’s basically our reason for being.
I also ask myself if I can solve a problem, like is the current option available a hassle? If yes, then I look to put it into an easy to take, but high bio available capsule. I will not bulk anything up, I will not make something because it is ‘trending’, and we always put our transparency ethos first.
The wellness industry can be full of bold claims and hidden additives. How do you ensure your brand remains transparent and trustworthy, and why is this so important to you as a founder?
Oh golly you’re right there! I get blown away by the ridiculous claims and bold statements some brands use in social media (and even on packaging). A lot of supplement brands will say it is ‘natural’, but they don’t disclose some of the ingredients. This isn’t well known, but brands do not have to disclose the non-active ingredients.
So, if a capsule contains a bunch of fillers or bulking agents it can be in the capsule and not on the label (which is terrifying if you really think about it). Brands often do this from a cost perspective because it’s so much cheaper to create a product full of filler ingredients, rather than quality active ingredients.
Our ethos of transparency is inherent in everything we do – even down to our products and packaging! We have made our packaging clear, we make all our capsules clear, and we share openly and proudly where we farm, source, manufacture and ship our products from. It’s so important to me as a founder because I am such a sceptic when it comes to anything I put into my body.
If a product has been marketed in such a way that I feel like I’m being ‘sold’ a dream, I almost instantly question it. The way I see it is, if a brand needs to spend so much on marketing just to say what it will do, then something is likely off. Brands spend huge budgets on marketing campaigns that literally dupe consumers into buying products that don’t work. But if a product is genuine, it should sell itself.
I wouldn’t buy a product I don’t trust, especially not from a brand I can’t see trust in, so I don’t expect anyone to look at Tonik and not question our brand, our products or me as a human being. I want to be fully transparent so that our customers feel educated, supported, trusting and most importantly feel and see the benefits from our products.
Tonik has been stocked in incredible places like Goop and Nourished Life. How do you stay true to your vision while also navigating the demands of such a fast-growing brand?
It has been an incredible journey with retailers, we were stocked in Sephora mid Covid but unfortunately that fell over due to staffing changes, and I had just had my first baby who spent a few months in the NICU so it did not get the love it needed to continue in Sephora.
We have been approached by the big chains, including chemist warehouses and we politely said no because we know that if we say yes we will be forever forced to conform to what they want. We never want to lose our ability to remain steadfast on our mission to be the better for you supplement brand.
It is hard, we have had to sacrifice millions if not tens of millions of dollars’ worth in saying no to those opportunities, but I truly believe we have managed to grow and build on our core foundations as a brand by doing so. We just turned 9 and I am so confident if I put the brand into Chemist Warehouse years ago we would not be here today.
As a busy entrepreneur and a mum, how do you balance work, family, and your own well-being? Do you have any daily rituals or wellness practices that help you stay grounded?
I must be totally honest, my balance of all of those is absolutely off. Some days are wonderful and some days I question what on earth I am doing. We recently moved to acreage, and we have the whole shebang; goats, chickens, geese, highland cows etc and I do know that this has helped me feel a lot more grounded.
It reminds me to slow down and enjoy the simpler things much more. Coming from a professional sporting background myself, motivation and discipline still gives me a bit of oomph in the mornings. I have always loved exercising, so most days I make sure I am up between 4-4:30am and get in a home work-out or a run on the treadmill before the kids wake up.
We are an early morning household so no one is asleep after 5am, but it is nice to be up and at it early and get something for myself done (and out of the way). My mental sanity definitely takes a toll if I don’t prioritise movement in my day. Doing it first thing in the morning is my little ritual – exercise first thing then I feel like I have tackled something for myself for the day (and the rest sort of flows)!
You’ve built a brand that’s all about simplicity and purity. What advice would you give to someone looking to improve their health but feeling overwhelmed by all the wellness information out there?
My best advice is to focus on a few things at a time. Most – if not all – health problems stem from gut health. Starting with something that is going to improve your gut health and digestion will almost certainly improve your overall health, energy, vitality etc. Once you have a healthy gut and you want to focus on other health goals then it becomes a much easier choice of supplementation or lifestyle changes.
A lot of products over promise so much and try to cram so many ingredients into one capsule but the reality is the actual bio available amount of each ingredient is so minimal that it has little to no effect at the recommended dosages they give you.
Tonik’s growth has been remarkable, particularly in international markets like China. What are your plans for the future of the brand, and are there any new products or initiatives on the horizon that you’re particularly excited about?
We have seen incredible growth because we have remained true to our core ethos. China in particular loves Australian and New Zealand brands because of our high-quality standards. It’s been so humbling to see a change in the consumers now understanding that simple is better and putting a lot more trust in founder facing brands, unlike the big pharma’s.
We do have some exciting products in development at the moment. For us it takes about 12-18 months to formulate products as were always pushing the technology and simplicity in each formulation. Because we don’t use fillers or bulking agents, we have to put each round of formulation through rigorous testing to ensure it is stable, effective and will last on shelf long enough.
We will always pursue ingredients in a single form because we don’t want to be another big pharma just putting lots of different things into a capsule in the hopes something works. Our products will always be benefit driven from a historical and clinically proven record, for example, curcumin.
It has been used for centuries in western medicine and in most cases can override prescription doses of anti-inflammatories when used correctly and consistently. The world has enough supplements, we just want to continue to be the simple brand that delivers ingredients with known benefits in easy to take, nutritionally beneficial doses.
