The items are researched based nutritional food products that offer solutions to our everyday health essentials. The brand is on a mission to guide through the healthy workout regime of a common man
The Covid-19 pandemic has awakened the world to the importance of being fit and healthy. Over the years, changes in lifestyle and urbanisation have led to laying more emphasis on earning more money, and amidst this, self-care and healthy habits have taken a backseat.
Abhishek Gagneja, founder of Yoga Brands, a Lifetech Group, that aims to help people live healthier lives & their lifestyle with its range of wellness and lifestyle products spoke to us.
The items are research based nutritional food products that offer solutions to our everyday health essentials. The brand is on a mission to guide through the healthy workout regime of a common man by routing him to overall well-being. It is helping to manage a chronic illness like diabetes with the right kind of food supplements while enhancing an individual’s athlete mind & body.
What is the company's current hold on the fitness supplement market in India? Are you facing any challenges?
We are more than just a fitness supplement company. Our brands are providing solutions for lifestyle disease management, fitness/sports nutrition, and weight management. So when a customer buys a product they get complementary consultation from dietitians and trainers to help them achieve their health goals.
Yoga Brands promotes subcategories under the shadow of the brand like Pro Nutrition & Fitness, Goodlife Nutrition, Ketogen & Myfitness247. While Pro Nutrition & Fitness deals in supplements that help build muscles, weight loss & cross fit; Goodlife Nutrition supports holistic health and wellness, and proliferates the idea of being healthy, realistic, and more importantly, having a Good Life with its products blend of nature, science & synergy.
On the other hand, while Ketogen sub-category is a doctor-developed science-backed plant-based superfood line prepared with 100% pure natural plants; Myfitness247 is an approach that amalgamates an all-inclusive health program, from the ancient wisdom of ayurvedic nutrition to exercises with modern science tailored to the physical & mental needs of human anatomy, delivered in private sessions with expert coaches and dieticians.
Like several start-ups, we do face some challenges. The challenges which we are facing are some established companies selling substandard products at unreal prices, lack of awareness about quality ingredients among consumers, and of course the pandemic effect. We are very confident in overcoming these challenges through our customer education campaign.
Which are the major products available in the Indian market?
We currently have over 50 SKU's available in the Indian Market, in the next 6-9 months we are expecting double the SKU's. Some of the popular products are ACV Gummies, Insulin Complex, Advance Slimming Complex, Supergreens, Plant Protein, Whey Protein, and Peanut Butter.
What are your views on enhancing the sports nutrition ecosystem in India?
Talking about stats 80 per cent of Indian Athletes are underweight compared to their international peers, the situation has improved in the past few years however we still have a long way to go ahead. This is where sports nutrition comes into the picture, we need to assess deficiency in an athlete's diet and then work on them to ensure they can perform at their full potential.
What are the company's major plans for 2022?
We have plans to expand our products portfolio and launch our AI-based fitness & wellness app and with the foundation work done by our team in 2021, we are looking to grow by 100 percent in 2022.
The company is able to penetrate the Indian market due to the upsurge of the ongoing awareness around self-care and self-love. People are looking to take better care of them now than ever, and thus Yoga Brands could receive that impetus in the health sector.
What would you advise companies looking to invest in plant-based players?
Plant-based products are definitely the latest trend in nutrition and definitely more environmentally friendly than animal-based products. I would suggest new players to have a sound business plan rather than just going after trends.
The growth in the plant-based sector has largely been driven by the mainstream emergence of the ‘flexitarian’ consumer (people who still consume meat and dairy but seek to reduce the levels they consume), as well as increased numbers of vegetarians and vegans, as consumers respond to a combination of ethical, environmental and health concerns.