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1. Find a Gap in the Market: Anna knew that sterling silver cups were a proven, culturally trusted breastfeeding solution in Italy. Real life experience and research revealed a gap in the U.S. market, prompting Anna to meet growing demand after firsthand need sparked grassroots adoption.
2. Stay Close to Your Customers: Anna reminds E-Commerce founders to maintain direct, personal connections with customers is essential – especially as operational demands grow – to stay grounded in their real needs and experiences.
3. Emphasize Empathy in CS: Empathy-driven support is central to the brand at Silverette USA. By prioritizing fast, flexible solutions, Anna ensures customers feel understood and cared for during the vulnerable experience of early motherhood.
4. Customer Feedback Drives Innovation: Anna emphasizes the direct relationship between customer feedback directly drives product innovation. At Silverette, real user needs drive thoughtful product enhancements that improve comfort and usability for breastfeeding mothers.
5. Hire Based on Positive Mindset: Anna believes skills can be taught, so she prioritizes hiring for mindset – especially positivity and empathy – ensuring new team members align with both the team culture and customer needs.
When Anna Forlesi became pregnant in New York in 2011, she discovered that the Silverette breastfeeding cups widely used in Italy were unavailable in the U.S. After importing them herself and seeing rising demand from other mothers, she partnered with the Italian manufacturer in 2013 to co-found Silverette USA. Discover how Anna’s empathetic approach to heading an E-Commerce business is helping new moms enjoy precious moments with their babies – pain free.
‍Meet Anna Forlesi, Founder of Silverette USA!
‍Founded by Anna Forlesi and Camilla Bazzanti, Silverette USA is dedicated to helping mothers around the world experience more comfortable, confident, and pain-free breastfeeding journeys. The E-Commerce company offers Silverette cups and accessories for breastfeeding, so mothers can stay present, comfortable, and fully connected to every moment of the breastfeeding experience.
‍In Italy, where Anna Forlesi is from, it’s standard for expecting mothers to use Silverette cups for protection during breastfeeding. Made from 925 sterling silver – known for its natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties – they offer a soothing, effective alternative to lanolin creams for nipple care. So when Anna became pregnant in 2011 while living in New York City, she was surprised to find that no pharmacies carried anything similar. “They simply weren’t available. It felt very odd – they’re amazing, and I knew how much they helped moms in Italy.” Her solution was simple: she asked her mother to ship them from abroad. Soon, other mothers took notice, and demand quickly grew, prompting Anna to order more sets.
As interest continued to build, Anna and her friend Camilla Bazzanti – now business partner – reached out to Tecnologia Ospedaliera, the Italian manufacturer, to explore selling the product in the United States. “They immediately said yes. We placed a small order in 2013,” she explains. “At the time, we were both working in fashion, but we decided to quit our jobs. The risk paid off, within months, they were selling Silverette USA cups on Amazon.
‍As the business scaled, Silverette USA recently underwent an organizational restructuring. Previously operating with five employees, Anna and her partner now lead a streamlined three-person team – one member handles customer service while the other two assist with Amazon returns and wholesale orders. They are supported by a third-party logistics (3PL) partner that manages shipping.
Explaining the shift, Anna says, “We couldn’t keep up – the cups arrive in rolls from Italy and need to be cleaned and assembled into packaging before being sent to Amazon or directly to customers.”
‍When Anna and her partner entered the E-Commerce space, they went from working in a high-fashion showroom to online sellers. While unsure what to expect, they were certain that a demand for their cups existed in the US market. Anna recalls how their approach to business shifted soon after launching. “We started selling through our website, and within a few months expanded to Amazon, which now accounts for 80–85% of our business.”
‍Like many small-business owners, Anna says her company has been impacted by international tariffs. “In April 2025, we started paying 15%, which really affected us,” she says. Another source of pressure has been the uncertainty and frequent changes in tariff policy affecting product sales. “For the first time since 2014, we had to raise prices,” Anna adds.
‍Having experienced it herself, Anna understands the discomfort many mothers endure while breastfeeding. “We always want to make our customers happy, so we try to help them as quickly as possible because we know they are in pain,” she explains. Customers can exchange cups if the size isn’t right. “We are moms,” she adds. “We always say just contact us and we’re going to help.
‍Before partnering with a 3PL, Anna and her employees were assembling orders from their garages. Now, she says they are focused on building a more professional operation. “Optimizing shipments will give us more time to focus on other priorities and grow the business,” she explains.
In addition, Anna is excited about Silverette’s new offering of a larger cup size and planned expansion into the UK market.
‍Asked how she fosters innovation at Silverette USA, Anna points to strategic expansion. “We started in the U.S., then expanded to Amazon Canada and Amazon Mexico, and most recently entered South America through Mercado Libre,” she explains.
Customer feedback has also played a key role in shaping the product line. After hearing from women with larger breasts that the cups could pinch, the team began developing complementary accessories to improve comfort. Today, Silverette offers a silicone ring that fits around the cup, as well as a safe cleaning kit.
Anna also takes pride in the company’s sustainability efforts. “We’re the only Silverette seller offering a recycling program,” she says. “Once mothers are done breastfeeding, they can send their cups back to us. We partner with a silversmith in New York City who melts them down and creates a pendant with their baby’s initials.”
‍Anna’s advice to anyone looking to break into E-Commerce is to be fully committed to your business and passionate about what you want to sell. Reflecting on her own experience, she says, “We really believed in the product, and we’re brave enough to quit our jobs and just started working without taking a salary for the year.”
She also emphasizes the importance of building a relationship with customers, reminding owners that it’s easy to get caught up with operations and logistics. “When I go to a conference or do a stand at a mother’s fair, I really feel the connection with other moms – never lose that contact with your real customers.”
Key hiring trait? I don’t focus on the degrees or experience they have because they can learn their job. It’s more the connection we have – like love at first sight. The first connection has to be positive and then we can work around everything else.
Can’t-live-without-tool? I would say ChatGPT. It saves so much time, especially because English is not my first language – for me it’s a revolution. I can write nice emails with the help of ChatGPT. And it’s been very helpful for social media – before I would write emails and social media posts, then send them to my American-speaking employee to check over.
Favorite E-Commerce thought leader? There’s a mom with a small business who I started following years ago. She’s an immigrant as well and her store is The Little Milk Bar. She’s very cool and is really inspiring – what she does and how she talks to people. We’re happy because we are doing a collaboration with her.
#1 challenge as an E-Commerce business owner? The uncertainty of the market and the tariffs.
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