Meet The Working Mom Whose Product Revolutionizes Breast Milk Storage-And Women’s Lives

With a tag line of “Never worry about safely storing your breastmilk again,” the revolutionary Ceres Chill breast milk storage bottle has transformed the lives of working women. But where did the idea come from, and who is behind it? I wanted to find out.

Micah Solomon, Senior Contributor, Forbes: Tell me about your flagship product, Ceres Chill

Lisa Myers, President and CEO, Ceres Chill: It’s a significant new product that has no equivalent elsewhere in the breast milk storage industry. Ceres Chill replaces the 1970’s technology coolers that have been holding women back and weighing moms down for decades. Simply put, it is a discreet, sustainable, dual-chamber insulated bottle that connects directly to breast pumps and can safely store breast milk for over 20 hours.

Solomon: Tell me how you came to create it.

Myers: I thought of Ceres Chill after returning to work from maternity leave. Working in a law office with mostly male colleagues I quickly realized I was out of luck as far as safe, discreet breastmilk storage. Staring at the bottles of breastmilk lined up on my desk while planning my next work trip to settle a big case, I realized I needed something much, much better. I began looking and found absolutely nothing that would work. There were only unacceptable options that would make life as a working, pumping mom that much more difficult.

At about the same time as I was dumping bottles of breastmilk down the drain because the coolers wouldn’t last or get through security, my three-year-old daughter started having sleep issues. The the stress of it and my sleepless nights had a plus side: they resulted in extra hours at night for me plan the business, while I continued to parent my kids and work as an attorney during the day.

Solomon: How successful has it been so far? Brag for a bit!

Myers: By any measure, we are killing it. Making constant financial gains, fantastic reviews, less than 1% returns, perfected designs and newly patented products. We have been approached by hospitals, medical professional groups and retailers about wholesale, which may be the next thing we pursue. We are now at that critical point where I need to decide if we take on professional investment or muscle through and grow it on our own.

It’s also successful on a level that means even more to me: I hear from moms who are fighter pilots, surgeons, ER nurses: moms who have been on the frontline of the COVID pandemic, telling us how this product has helped them get through…that’s enough to know that I put something amazing out in this world. As a woman, I know how powerful this is. As a mother, I know that my children are proud of me. I know that I’m helping people all across the world; moms from South America, Europe, Asia and North America have reached out to me about needing this chiller to make their lives easier. And that is so worth it.