While helping her grandmother Lucille recover from heart surgery, Jess Haghani made an alarming discovery: Nutritional shakes commonly given to the elderly have not changed in decades.
“It was really just shocking to me to see doctors recommending these legacy ultra-processed and totally stripped of any joy shakes that have essentially seen no innovation since the late 20th century,” she said.
“These products came out in 1970s and 1980s and have not meaningfully changed despite the huge advancements in science and the understanding of the body and the understanding of the power of simplified ingredient lists…and so it was just really challenging to see my grandma, who is just the emblem of power and strength and presence, really reduced to this clinical equation and being managed by a few shakes a day.”
This realization led Haghani to found Lucille Health. Aimed at revolutionizing senior nutrition, the company offers high-protein shakes with clean ingredients, 5 grams of fiber and 23 vitamins and minerals. The company also designed easy-open tetra packs with straws for seniors with arthritis.
“Clean ingredients is what matters the most, but how you physically interact with a product is part of the equation too,” Haghani said. “Maybe not an equal weight, but it’s something to really take into consideration as the body changes and your ability to interact with products changes.”
As she pointed out, Lucille Health is not just about better formulation. By combining clinical rigor with compelling branding, her company seeks to restore dignity to aging and eliminate the shame many seniors feel when drinking nutritional beverages.
Working alongside Harvard nutritionists—and Grandma Lucille herself as a critical tester—the team created something that tastes good and feels effortless. The brand’s logo comes from Lucille’s own handwriting, and the flower design celebrates her love of gardening.
“We don’t need to treat aging as a medical condition,” Haghani said. “It’s just a stage of life, and I think my grandma is an example of that.”
