Breast milk fuels humanity. Let's treat it like the superfood it is.

Millions of moms pump and store their breast milk every year. Yet, 75% say they've had to throw some away. Because their babies rejected it. Because the thawed milk turns rancid. Who knows? What we do know is that's a lot of lost liquid gold.

Moms need to store their breast milk. To go back to work. To share the load. To catch a break. And they deserve a solid solution.

We're on a mission to translate the science of breast milk into simple solutions for pumping parents.

OUR STORY

It started with a simple question.

Why is my baby rejecting this breast milk?

After Katie and Justin Silpe welcomed their second child and a few months of maternity leave, Katie returned to work and Justin took over feeding their baby during the day — with Katie's frozen stash. But when Justin offered the thawed breast milk to their daughter, she refused to drink it.

They weren't alone.

Other parents online reported the same issues feeding their babies their frozen breast milk. They all noticed the change in taste and smell. They all didn't know what to do about it.

So Justin went looking for answers. In the lab.

There was no explanation. Or credible information anywhere online. So Justin decided to study it. He brought Katie's thawed milk into Bonnie Bassler's Princeton laboratory, used the same scientific techniques he used to study bacterial cell-cell communication, and found that the milk was changing after storage. Not just the texture and flavor, but the nutrition too.

PumpKin Research Project Milk Storage Bag

The solution would take a village.

Justin applied high-throughput screening to human milk to see if he could find a set of ingredients that would preserve the milk's structure and nutritional value after storage. But first, he would need a lot of breast milk. Justin developed a protocol, Katie engaged her network, and the couple drove around New Jersey collecting donations from dozens of pumping moms.

PumpKin was born.

After extensive research and screening, Justin discovered a combination of three infant-safe, natural ingredients that, when added to breast milk, keep it fresh in the freezer.

THE SOLUTION

A platform dedicated to breast milk science.

We are developing completely new, science-backed products to help moms keep their breast milk fresh for longer. Because the more breast milk for baby—and the more we know about that breast milk—the less stress there is around feeding baby.

Mom pumping behind container of frozen breast milk

WHO WE ARE

Founding team

Dr. Justin Silpe

Co-Founder, CEO & CSO

Dr. Bonnie Bassler

Co-Founder, SAB Chair

OUR VALUES

What we're all about

Science is our superpower.

We had questions, so we went looking for answers. In real evidence, rigorous research, and credible data. A.K.A. Science. The stuff parents have lacked for centuries.

Simplicity is queen.

We believe less is more. As in nothing complicated. Nothing unnecessary. And absolutely no added stress. Feeding is already a full-time job—so parents should at least have reliable information.

Facts over folklore.

There's too much information out there. It's hard to know what's truth and what's chatter. That's why we're digging into the data. We want to give parents the facts, so that they can stay in the know as they make feeding decisions.

For all mom-kind.

We are parents, too. We've been there. We've seen it. We know what parents are going through. Which is why we make sure our research and solutions are easily accessible AND understandable.

OUR VISION

Let's change the way we think about mom's milk.

The more we know more about our human superfood, the more we can help moms and babies thrive. And the more we can empower moms in the workplace, the economy, and beyond.