Saurabh Garg and Anurag Kedia, co-founders of The Four Fountain Spa, spotted an opportunity to launch a new food category for the Indian market. Driven by research, the duo launched myDaily, a meal replacement shake filled with macro and micronutrients and fibre. And, Amazon’s Launchpad program gave the brand some early traction.
Who wouldn’t be familiar with the malady of skipping meals due to a busy work schedule, or grabbing junk food on the go to fill the stomach before entering a meeting? “We as entrepreneurs and busy working professionals realised that due to our tight schedule and lack of time on lot of occasions, we ended up eating junk food or skipping breakfast or lunch. This used to play havoc with our health,” points out Saurabh Garg, co-Founder myDaily Meal.
This prompted him and co-founder Anurag Kedia (who also run Fulcrum Venture India-backed Four Fountains Spa) to start a project to solve the problem by developing its product, a meal replacement shake that was healthy and could be ready in one minute, anytime, anywhere. A small research team with a scientist and a formulator decoded the Recommended Dietary Allowance for Indians by Indian Council of Medical Research, to arrive at the exact ratios of Macronutrients (Proteins, Fats and Carbs), Micronutrients (Minerals and Vitamins) and Fibre.
More than 30 per cent Indians skip their breakfast, and 72 per cent urban working professionals in India have junk food due to busy schedules and lack of time
The next step was to work with completely safe food ingredients approved by FSSAI. “It took us hundreds of iterations and around a year to get the product right,” says Garg. The company launched three flavours – Chocolate, Neutral and Vanilla, comes in a powder form and can be consumed by adding water and shaking it. It is free of transfats, has no extra calories, no preservatives and no added colours. It provides 21g protein, 25 essential minerals and vitamins, 13g fibre, low glycaemic index and keeps one full for 4-5 hours.
On Amazon Launchpad
The product was made available in the market through www.myDailymeal.com and also on Amazon.in. Soon it was shortlisted to the Amazon’s Global Program for Startups called Launchpad, which helps innovative product startups to find consumers online. Amazon Launchpad gives a small startup a level playing field with large companies that have huge sales. “So, we get a similar content page on Amazon that a company like Unilever or Nestle may have and are able to communicate the entire value proposition to the consumers properly, with even a video. Amazon team also works closely with us on the marketing and promotions plan,” explains he.
Since then, the products have also been launched at Godrej Nature’s Basket and Hypercity. Now the company is looking to take it to the next level.
As a next step, myDaily would be working with the Amazon team to build more consumer friendly offerings such as monthly subscriptions, enabling monthly grocery purchase and more. “Amazon Launchpad also gives us a chance to launch in markets like the US and UK, which we would be exploring,” Garg adds.
Product roadmap
Apart from the busy professional, myDaily also found demand from people looking to manage weight. So the company launched a free Diet Consultation program that one can take online or on Phone/WhatsApp. “Diet is the most important factor in managing weight. Diet is 70% and exercise is 30% contribution towards your goal,” explains Garg.
As it was an instant hit, with queries pouring in every day, myDaily now plans to develop more products including healthy meals and snacks that will help people lose weight in a healthy and natural way.
Addressing a Weighty Problem
Says Garg, “More than 30 per cent Indians skip their breakfast, and 72 per cent urban working professionals in India have junk food due to busy schedules and lack of time.” According to a recent National Family Health Survey’s decennial study, more than 31 per cent urban Indian women and 26 per cent urban Indian men are overweight and the obesity rate is growing fast. “We believe that myDaily is going to play an important part in helping people have a healthy meal. Along with the free diet consultations, we would be an important part of this growing epidemic of urban India becoming overweight,” he adds.
Insights from myDaily
Product Approach: Triggered by a need to have a quick-to-eat healthy meal on a busy day, myDailyMeal launched stir and shake meal solutions with the prescribed nutrients for a healthy Indian.
Marketing Approach: Thanks to Amazon’s Launchpad, myDaily Meal products get level playing field when compared to products from a Nestle or Unilever and also international exposure.
Value Add Approach: Seeing the demand for the product amongst those trying to fight obesity, myDaily Meal also provides free diet consultation and plans to release products to address this category.
