Jess Edelstein is a proud Jew and a natural entrepreneur, but it wasn’t until recently that she got to combine those two passions and design a product largely aimed at helping her own people. Launched in the fall of this year, Edelstein’s newest venture is called Got Moops LLC. It produces sweet syrups for topping ice cream that also offer the same benefits as a lactose-intolerance pill.
“[A lot of people] don’t take pills because it’s too much of a chore. We wanted something delicious, something we would look forward to taking so we could enjoy dairy, because it’s something we enjoy and we’re not gonna stop eating,” Edelstein said.
Both Edelstein and her husband, Marc Levy, are lactose-intolerant ice cream lovers. The Collingswood, New Jersey, resident was entering uncharted territory in creating this product, as there was nothing else like it on the market. This meant that Edelstein and her team had to work with scientists to master the recipe for digestive-aiding tapioca syrup.
This is a tall task for many, but creating an entirely new lane of products is something that Edelstein has had a crack at before.
“My first business was PiperWai Natural Deodorant, and it was the first activated-charcoal deodorant on the market when we launched in 2014,” she said. “Now charcoal deodorant is everywhere, but we were on Shark Tank in 2015 because it was a new concept, and it solved a problem for a lot of people that couldn’t find an aluminum deodorant that worked for them.”
Edelstein has always been a problem solver. The development of PaperWai embodies this.
“That came from my brain because I had stomach aches, and I was looking at remedies while also making some DIY deodorant at the time, and decided that I should put the charcoal in the deodorant recipe. And lo and behold, it made it more effective, and no one had done it before,” she said.
Edelstein said that designing a product for her own people also brings with it a bonus in terms of market share, although that isn’t why she pursued the product’s development.
“If my product were to get boycotted like we see with a lot of Jewish-owned businesses these days, I know at least that there will be a customer base of Jewish people,” she said.
In the near future, Edelstein wants to further appeal to her people with product development. Edelstein grew up attending conservative Adath Israel in Merion Station, but she now considers herself secular. This means that when Moops was originally launched, the thought of making sure it is certified Kosher skipped her mind. After hearing feedback, she is ready to incorporate that process into the next round of Moops.
“Even though tapioca syrup, our main ingredient, is kosher, the entire process for the product is not, so that is something that we are absolutely going to prioritize for the next production run because we have gotten a lot of questions about it,” she said.
For Edelstein, who had a traditionally conservative Jewish upbringing that would sound familiar to many, her journey towards where she stands now was not linear. While identifying as secular, Jewish values and traditions are becoming more important to Edelstein and her husband as their son grows up. She attended High Holidays at Adath Israel this year with her parents, and said it was a deeply emotional experience.
“I’ve realized that my values that were instilled in me growing up going to Hebrew school have never wavered,” she said. “The High Holidays made me realize how important it is to have Judaism as part of my life. It’s such a privilege to be able to practice Judaism, and I realize how important it is [to do so] after October 7 and all of the antisemitism that has come with it.”
Edelstein’s family doesn’t regularly attend or belong to a synagogue currently, but the entrepreneur and mother said that she reinforces their identity, tradition and home.
“I’m inviting some of the practices back into my life and introducing them to my son, which is something that’s newly important to me,” she said.
Edelstein and her family lived in Philadelphia for many years, but crossed the bridge to the Garden State during the pandemic in an effort to get some fresh air and space. They miss the city, but not enough to move back. However, Edelstein doesn’t let that stop her from being a part of the Jewish community in her hometown.
She has been involved with Tribe 12 since 2015. The organization looks to spur personal and professional connections within the young adult Philadelphia Jewish community. Starting as a member of the organization’s fellowship program while starting PiperWai, Edelstein has since served as a peer mentor and is now a member of the organization’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee. In her current role, Edelstein looks to create a more welcoming environment for Jews of all backgrounds, which as a member of the neurodivergent community, she is especially passionate about.
Early reviews of the product are simple: it works, and it tastes good. As for the future of Moops, Edelstein is thinking big. She wants to have a catalogue of flavors, including special edition, collaborative and seasonal ones. She also wants to work with ice cream stores so that Moops can be enjoyed there in addition to at home.
Edelstein knew her idea would have a good chance at succeeding from the start, but one part of the process stands out to her as solidifying the fact that Moops is a necessary invention.
“We did a survey that about 700 people responded to in which we asked how they manage lactose intolerance and there were three options: take lactase pills every time you eat dairy, avoid dairy completely, or opt for dairy-free options,” she said. “Someone added an option that said, ‘I suffer the consequences,’ and that got the most votes by far.”
The majority of Ashkenazis, as well as millions of others, might not have to suffer those consequences anymore, thanks to one Jew with a stomach ache and an inventor’s spirit.