Why Telli Ondiris Is Searching for Designers Right Now
Kazakh entrepreneur Asel Tasmagambetova has put out a public call for packaging and brand designers as her cosmetics company Telli Ondiris prepares to relaunch around a pharmacy-led concept. In a social media post describing a typical day at the Almaty plant, she said the team was choosing packaging for new Asiya products, testing textures and fragrances with technologists, and still searching for the right visual identity for some products that are otherwise ready to launch.
The search is part of a broader reset. Two weeks earlier, Tasmagambetova said the company had decided to abandon its existing format and return to an apothecary-style model, with a modern twist: a focus on international pharmaceutical brands, evidence-based medicine and a professional pharmacy assortment. She described the change as "several years of investment, finding new partners, rebuilding the assortment and major work."
Telli was founded in 2007 as a distributor of more than 70 international organic, cosmeceutical and dermatological brands. Its own manufacturing arm, Telli Ondiris, operates in Almaty's industrial zone with capacity of up to 30 million units per year, making Telli and Asiya balms, shower gels, liquid soap and lotions. In April 2026 the company installed sachet-format equipment, which Tasmagambetova called an expansion into retail, B2B and travel segments.
What the Pharmacy-Concept Pivot Means for Telli's Brand and Production
Tasmagambetova's comments reveal a launch sequence in which formulation is ahead of packaging. A product can be approved by technologists and still wait for a visual identity, making design capacity the current constraint on new Asiya launches. That inverts the usual assumption that manufacturing is the bottleneck and means any designer hired now has unusual leverage on time-to-market.
The Pharmacy Pivot Changes Who Telli Sells To
The return to an apothecary-style format is not a cosmetic rebrand. Tasmagambetova says the company will again bet on international pharmaceutical brands, evidence-based medicine and professional pharmacy assortment. If executed, this shifts the commercial center of gravity toward pharmacy buyers, dermatologists and consumers seeking clinically credible products, and away from purely beauty-led retail positioning.
The Sachet Line Makes the Production Base More Flexible
The April 2026 sachet equipment matters because it changes the unit economics and channels Telli can serve. Single-dose formats are standard for sampling, travel retail and B2B amenity contracts. Combined with 30 million-unit annual capacity, the new capability allows the company to pursue smaller, more varied orders without rebuilding the plant.
Who Should Move First on Telli's Pharmacy-Format Reset
- Designers and branding studios: The founder has publicly said Telli Ondiris "very much needs strong designers" who can handle identity, packaging and labels, and that some new products are already waiting for visual solutions. This is an open recruitment signal, not a closed roster.
- Pharmacy chains and retail buyers: Telli's announced reset to a pharmacy-led model means its assortment is likely to change over the next few years. Existing and prospective pharmacy partners should re-evaluate shelf plans for Telli and Asiya as the company rebuilds its portfolio around evidence-based and pharmaceutical-aligned brands.
- International cosmeceutical and dermatological brand owners: Telli's history as a distributor of more than 70 international brands and its current pharmacy pivot create a concrete opening for partnership. Brands seeking Kazakh pharmacy distribution have a named company actively looking for new partners.
- B2B and travel buyers: With sachet-format equipment now installed, single-dose formats for retail, B2B or travel channels are on Telli's stated agenda. Buyers in those segments can approach with specific volume and specification requirements, but should confirm capacity availability directly.
Risk & Opportunity Assessment
| Commercial Risk | Medium | The pivot to a pharmacy-led model requires several years of investment and assortment rebuilding, creating cash-flow uncertainty even though Telli Ondiris already has 30 million-unit annual production capacity. |
| Competitive Risk | Medium | Returning to the apothecary-style segment places Telli back in competition with established international pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical brands in Kazakh pharmacy channels. |
| Regulatory Risk | Low | No new regulatory action is disclosed; however, a pharmacy-oriented assortment may require product registrations or compliance with pharmacy-channel standards that the company has not detailed. |
| Reputation Risk | Medium | Tasmagambetova is publicly associated with the brand through her personal profile and Forbes Kazakhstan ranking, so delays in packaging or repositioning could affect partner and consumer confidence. |
| Technology Disruption | Low | The story concerns packaging, visual identity and format changes rather than material technology disruption; the sachet line is an incremental production flexibility improvement. |
| Commercial Opportunity | High | The sachet format opens retail, B2B and travel segments, while the pharmacy reset can access a higher-trust distribution channel and new international pharmaceutical brand partnerships. |
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