Setting the right fitness tone

FOR a growing number of consumers, particularly millennials and Gen Z, health is becoming the new wealth.

Lifestyles are taking a turn for the healthier as wellness increasingly permeates every aspect of daily routines.

People are trading indulgent eating for nutrition-based meal planning, timepieces for health-tracking smartwatches, and nightclubs for run clubs.

“A real shift is happening,” says Justin Chan, co-founder of Malaysian active nutrition business Heal Nutrition.

“Many are drinking less and don’t enjoy nights out as much anymore. Instead, they’re going to bed early and waking up at 6am on a weekend for a run.”

The rising popularity of social activities designed around fitness in recent years, such as Hyrox, pilates, pickleball and padel has further highlighted the wider cultural move towards physically active pursuits.

This expanding cohort of active lifestyle consumers is precisely the target market Heal Nutrition aims to serve with its range of health and fitness supplements and snacks.

Launched in 2017 by Chan and Fibi Cheong, the brand was born after the founders saw that people weren’t getting sufficient protein to meet the recommended daily intake.

Malaysian diets, often heavy on carbohydrates, made this especially difficult to achieve.

Supplements such as protein shakes offer a solution, but protein powder has had a long-standing image problem.

To most, it was largely associated with bulked up body builders and muscle-bound gym fanatics, and not marketed to the everyday, moderately-active person.

The unappetising, artificial- tasting flavours of existing protein shake products on the market also didn’t help.

“Fibi tried one sip of one of the commercial brands and immediately threw the whole 2kg bag away,” Chan recalls. “We realised that protein wasn’t the issue, but rather how it was formulated and packaged.”

Consequently, they set out to create a protein shake powder with real, quality ingredients that could be enjoyed as a healthy beverage with nutritional benefits, rather than taken as a pure supplement.

The first product they came up with was a matcha latte flavoured shake, offering 20g of protein with no sugar.

The protein shake line eventually expanded to varieties like passionfruit, taro and coffee, as well as a vegan series made using pea protein, broadening its appeal to customers beyond the typical protein-chasing, powerlifting gym junkie.

“Hardcore gym-goers don’t really prioritise the taste or ingredients. Their benchmark is cost-per-gram of protein, so they will go for the cheapest, most functional option,” he explains.

“Our target group, on the other hand, are those who are active but still value quality and enjoyment.

“I’ve always believed that if you don’t enjoy the process of a healthy lifestyle, you’re not going to stick to it, so our products have to be something people want to consume.”

Guided by this principle, Heal Nutrition has over the years widened its range, developing offerings such as protein and collagen bars, as well as savoury protein puff snacks in flavours like nasi lemak and Thai tom yum.

More recently, it also launched its line of creatine powder, an increasingly popular supplement for supporting physical performance and cognitive function.

The aim is to build a suite of nutritional products that customers can integrate into different parts of their daily routines, from taking creatine just before workouts, to protein shakes at breakfast, to protein puffs and bars for snacking throughout the day, Chan shares.

The brand’s active lifestyle consumer play has made it a leader in the active nutrition space, particularly among women, who notably now make up 60% of the business’ customer base.

In terms of distribution, 50% of the company’s sales comes from online channels, mainly consisting of repeat and bulk purchases from regular customers.

The remaining half, comprising offline retail sales through supermarkets, pharmacies and convenience stores, plays an equally crucial role in providing customers quick and convenient access to the products, the co-founder says.

In fact, he points out that Heal Nutrition can be found in Jaya Grocer’s new fitness and wellness aisles, which were recently launched in selected outlets in support of Malaysia’s first-ever Hyrox race – a testament to the growing demand for active nutrition products.

“When we first started out, they didn’t know where to put us, so we were awkwardly squeezed into places like the coffee and tea section,” he says.

“A full aisle dedicated to products like protein shakes, creatine and electrolyte drinks shows how far the market has come.”

Looking ahead, Chan says the company’s “north star” is to grow into a nine-figure business from its current eight figures.

The business, which currently has a presence in Singapore and Brunei, is also looking to extend its footprint across the Asia-Pacific region.

To fuel its expansion plans, the company is currently in the middle of a fundraising exercise.

On the product innovation side, the team is exploring more formats that allow for easy and immediate consumption, such as ready-to-drink offerings.

“Lives are getting busier and nutrition is becoming easier to neglect, so our key focus when it comes to future development will be on increasing accessibility,” Chan says.

“Whatever format that takes, the goal is to make it more convenient to have active nutrition on a daily basis.”