Fishy fun

When looking at Omega3 Innovations' soft chocolate-covered cookies and creamy chocolate truffles, one wouldn't immediately think of it as “healthy” food.

Which is exactly the point.

Nearly five years after physicians-turned-medical entrepreneurs Drs. Bo Martinsen and Anne-Marie Chalmers developed the Omega Cookie, the two think they have a range of products that customers will not only like, but prefer to junk food.

Martinsen says “medical foods” are the future of medicine. Although it's food, someone can take it to ease conditions such as joint pain, Martinsen says. “People are tired of pills. This is the future,” Martinsen says.

The Venice-based company's sweet endeavors are just one reason why the company's sales have increased tenfold since its inception in 2008. Current annual revenues surpass $1 million. “This is a fraction of what we anticipate” for sales, says Martinsen, who projects Omega3 Innovations' revenues to double in the next 12 months.

The company recently hired four employees and expanded its national and international marketing. Through new partnerships, Martinsen and Chalmers say they hope to be in the international market before the end of the year. They also are looking at different sources of funding to support the company's rapid expansion, which they estimate will take about $1 million. “We are looking at new investors and also possibly crowd funding when that becomes structured by the SEC later this year,” Martinsen says.

But perhaps the most visible boost for the firm came in December, when actress Jennifer Aniston gave an unsolicited endorsement of Omega3 Innovations' Omega Cure liquid fish oil during an interview with InStyle Magazine. The company saw a dramatic increase in the number of high-profile government and business professionals ordering its products.

Aniston's plug was a welcome surprise for Martinsen and Chalmers. The two physicians concede the majority of the clientele are, and have always been, educated 45- to 70-year-old women — many of whom are doctors and Ph.D.s. However, they think the interest garnered from their trendsetting clients living on Madison Avenue is what will inspire more people to buy their products.

The doctors knew they were onto something in 2008 when they first developed the concept for their Omega Cookie, which includes essential nutrients like vitamin D3, calcium, gluten-free oat fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. From an omega-3 intake perspective, the doctors say it's better than eating a 4-ounce salmon for dinner.

Chalmers says omega-3 has the same anti-inflammatory effect as over-the-counter medications like Aleve. “One client said she noticed a reduction in her back spasms after only six weeks of using the Omega Cure and eating one cookie a day,” Chalmers says.

The products range in price from the cookies, which start at $9.95 for a sampler of four, to a bottle of Omega Cure liquid fish oil, which starts at $44.95.

It took Martinsen and Chalmers three years to perfect the taste of their Omega3 Cookie, as well as the presentation. During the production stages, Omega3 Innovations tested their cookie product at the Sarasota Farmers' Market. Martinsen says tasters would give feedback on everything from taste and pricing to presentation.

They say the toughest part was standardizing the recipe for the product so that every cookie tasted exactly the same. “That has been the biggest challenge up to this point,” Martinsen says.

Even as the company grows, Chalmers will still be at the Sarasota Farmers' Market every Saturday getting word out about the products.

“Sarasota is the place for us,” Martinsen says. “Like us, Sarasota represents a healthy-living lifestyle.”