The co-founders of Superpowders, Andy Kazandjian (left) and Youssef Taher (right).
Three and a half years ago, sitting in a Dubai apartment, two Lebanese friends discussed starting a business together.
Youssef Taher, 29, an investment banker, and Andy Kazandjian, 27, chief growth officer at a cosmetics company, did not yet know what the product would be. But while most conversations in the startup ecosystem turned toward Artificial Intelligence (AI), the pair began looking at another fast-growing trend: health and wellness.
Health-conscious themselves, they were already consuming wellness products from the U.S. and the UK, including powders made from various greens, but could not find an equivalent on the local market. That realization became their starting point.
For about six months, they tested items, created samples and worked on blends before landing on their first product: mushroom coffee, a coffee alternative made with functional mushrooms and adaptogenic plants, without “the crash or jitters often associated with caffeine.”
Superpowders officially launched in March 2023, with its operations based in Lebanon. Its first production run was limited to around 1,000 bags. The idea was to move slowly and test the market.
“We sold out in less than a month,” Taher told L’Orient Today.
A self-funded bet
The company started with roughly $12,000 of the founders’ own money. As sales picked up, they gradually invested a total of around $100,000 over the following year. Three years later, Superpowders crossed 50,000 customers and generated multi-million dollars in annual revenue.
Self-funding changed how they approached business.“It’s your hard-earned money that you’re risking and putting it into something,” Kazandjian said, “you fight for every dollar because it’s yours.”
After mushroom coffee, Superpowders expanded into electrolytes, which have become its best performing product, amid the rise of fitness-related habits and healthier eating.
Until April 2026, both founders were still running the company alongside their full-time jobs. But as the business grew, Taher became convinced of its potential and left what he described as the “promised land” of finance to focus on Superpowders full-time, giving up a monthly salary of around $20,000, before bonus.
Kazandjian continues to split his time between the cosmetics company and Superpowders. The decision was a deliberate choice: one founder would dedicate himself fully to the business, while the other would continue balancing both roles, given the overlap between the two fields. Most of the money generated by Superpowders, they added, is reinvested into the company to support its growth.
The brand has since expanded beyond Lebanon.
“We’re now also in the UAE, with presence in countries like Iraq, Nigeria, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia through distributors,” Taher said.
Superpowders sells online and through more than 500 retail points, including pharmacies, gyms, supermarkets, and delivery apps in Lebanon.
The brand targets health-conscious consumers and athletes, but also people looking to make small adjustments in their daily habits, such as replacing soft drinks with healthier alternatives.
The next step is to continue investing and deepen regional expansion. Taher says he sees himself “spending more time in Lebanon, but also in Saudi, Oman, Qatar, and Jordan — all the markets we want to expand.”
