The consumers of today demand food that titillates their taste buds while providing a boost to their health. The snack lovers are looking for something to satiate their cravings without wreaking havoc with their body's physiology. Companies that focus on this niche market are the need of the hour. Samyog Health Foods is one such organization.

Samyog Health Foods was started in 2020 with a focus on plant-based proteins. It was created keeping in mind the need to support every individual's nutritional needs. Devendra Chawla, founder, Samyog Health Foods shares the idea behind starting this business, "Like most people, I love tasty meals and snacks like chips, pizzas, pastas, pancakes and much more. But over time, I became aware of the repercussions of these foods on my health. What I realized was this is not just my story. Today, over 68% of Indians are protein deficient, resulting in several health-based challenges. This led me to embark on a journey to make everyday foods high in protein with benefits like high fiber, 100% plant-based as well as gluten-free and salt-free variants."

According to him, two major shifts are happening concerning protein in the food system. He explains, “The first is from animal-based proteins to plant-based proteins. Over 3/4 of all agricultural land is used to feed farm animals, which could otherwise be cultivated for direct human consumption. The second shift, a necessary one, is the carbohydrate to protein switch. In line with this, we have launched our first brand, Prolicious, which focuses on helping people get protein through the day. Prolicious sits at the intersection of taste and health. We take tasty, everyday foods that Indians love eating and make them high in protein."

Prolicious enables health-conscious individuals to eat the foods they want and get the protein they need throughout the day. Chawla adds, "We started by launching our star products like high protein khakhras and thins on eCommerce platforms, offline channels, and on our website. We have launched exclusive products on our website like high protein pancake and oats chilla breakfast premixes for customers looking for a range of products."

Promoting the concept of protein throughout the day

The need for a protein-rich diet among Indians is noteworthy. According to Chawla, the company is focused on the concept of protein throughout the day. To achieve this goal, they are working on a range of RTC (ready-to-cook) and RTE (ready-to-eat) products with specific benefits. For instance, people have busy mornings so they have designed quick breakfast items that can be made in less than fifteen minutes. He explains, "We've launched high protein chilla and pancake mixes in this category. For providing convenient snacks to take on the go, we are the first company to put a zip on a vacuum pack. This provided an easy way to carry our khakhras and thins while traveling. Our first foods in the dinner category are pasta and hakka noodles, which will be launched in June. We also offer salt free and gluten-free variants. We have a strong pipeline with a range of RTC and RTE products to help people eat protein through the day."

R&D, food safety and quality

Samyog Health Foods has a growing internal team of food scientists and nutritionists and an integrated lab focusing on end-to-end R&D from base protein ingredients to end formulation. The company has the equipment and capability to develop high protein foods, plant-based dairy, meat and egg foods. This has led it to develop a culture of creating industry-firsts, like the first high protein khakhra and the first zip on a vacuum pack.

Further, the Samyog Health Foods facility has state-of-the-art machinery to produce a wide range of food products, including khakhras, thins, premixes, pasta, noodles and plant-based products. Shedding light on their food quality and safety aspects, he says, "We follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) at our facility and have all the necessary certifications from FSSAI. We source the best raw materials, store them hygienically, and perform quality tests on every batch produced."

According to Chawla, their initial trials have received great responses from consumers. "Some have even shared their health transformation journeys with us. We have also witnessed strong engagement on our D2C channels with repeat customers."

Distribution channel

Explaining the strategy for distribution, he says, "We have a breadth and depth strategy when it comes to distribution. For breadth, we list our star products across multiple platforms like Modern Trade, General Trade and eCommerce. In our depth strategy, we provide our 'protein through the day' proposition to visitors via our website (www.prolicious.com) with RTE and RTC options in the breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacking categories. We also aim to drive further education and engagement with our customers here."

Plans to launch new products

For a company, vision is the backbone and driving force behind all that it does. Commenting on this, Chawla says," Our vision is to make tasty foods nutritious by adding plant-based protein to the daily diet."

Regarding plans, he further says, "In the future, we would like to automate and digitize our factory using industry 4.0 technologies to improve quality, customization and scale. For the past two years, our R&D has been working on various projects. Many of our visioned healthy foods will be available to consumers very soon. We plan to launch High Protein Pasta and Hakka Noodles within the next month."

Samyog Health Foods aspires to develop convenient treats that can be consumed on the go and help consumers maintain their daily protein intake, thus simplifying healthy eating.