The growing interest in health and well-being is heralding an expansion in the market for high-protein beverages.
Milkshakes as a category is a significantly large and growing category in our country, especially given the impact of summer in major parts of the country all year round. Our entry into the shakes category is based on our vision to serve milkshakes that are lip-smacking and delicious in taste and significantly more nutritious compared to what is available in the market.
The alternative and better-for-you (BFY) market is just starting to take shape in the country. We are already witnessing this with a boom in the number of new products and formats that are being launched across all segments – breakfast, snacking, desserts, etc. While the market is nascent, there is significant potential to be uncovered especially at lower price points and in non-metro cities. This is where our focus will be in the short to medium term.
When we launched the Phab range of high-protein products, the biggest impediment was educating the consumer about the category – especially with respect to the impact and importance of protein in our daily diet. As Indian consumers, the knowledge that our protein intake isn’t as high as it should be is still very limited. Thankfully the pandemic gave rise to a lot of changes in consumer habits. Habits such as healthy eating, being active, mindful snacking, immunity etc made our lives a whole lot easier with respect to building category awareness. With that addressed, we never had issues with respect to product acceptance – and we consider this both a blessing and a testimony to our ability to understand consumer palate and taste. A blessing obtained through our legacy of being in the ice cream and restaurant business for over 75 years.
The two biggest differentiators of our brand are taste and affordability. Being able to achieve or strive towards the best-tasting product while being affordable is inherent in our DNA, we know that taste and pricing is paramount to the Indian Consumer. The products that we have launched and those in the pipeline are targeted towards the everyday consumer so that she can be the Phab version of herself every day.
We own the Huber & Holly (H & H), Hocco Eatery, and 1944 restaurant brands. A month back, we launched a couple of high-protein ice cream flavours in Huber & Holly as an experiment to see consumer behaviour and we are super-stoked to say that these protein-rich desserts are literally flying off the shelves!
Banking on this initial success, our plan is to try and integrate and curate a `phab’ version of the menu in each of our stores to enhance the consumer experience – with ice creams and superfood toppings in H&H and milkshakes and smoothies in 1944 and Hocco.
The vision is to be a 50cr brand in three years – and we know the way to achieve this is by tapping into a more affordable price segment in non-metros. That is where the true potential of this category lies and all of our efforts in terms of product and category expansion, and distribution are directed to achieving this vision.
About the Author
Ankit Chona
Ankit Chona is the Founder and Managing Director, PHAB – healthy protein snacks. He is an experienced third – generation food entrepreneur with a passion for culinary creations. A Business Administration and Management graduate from Purdue University, USA, Ankit has been involved in the food business for over 16 years now. Having confronted health and weight issues since childhood, fitness and a healthy lifestyle became paramount for Ankit which gave birth to the Phab brand.
