Let's take a detour today from the usual corporate talk, I want to talk about something that matters and is extremely important - protein bars
Why do I bring protein bars back from abroad or ask friends and family to bring them for me? Thanks to everyone who has sacrificed precious suitcase space for my snack supply btw.
David and Barebells are usually the top 2 on my list. David Gold: 28g protein for 150 calories. Incredible protein efficiency. Taste? Not my favourite. Barebells: great taste, with options like Creamy Crisp delivering 20g protein for 200 calories. One I actually look forward to eating.
The Indian protein bar market is a huge conundrum to me. My experience falls into a few buckets:
Great taste, disappointing protein efficiency: RiteBite Max Protein and SuperYou.
Okay-ish taste, without exceptional protein ratio: Yoga Bar
The massive 4g protein bar segment: Come on, this is clearly a smaller snack.
And credit where it's due: Chase and Phab have done good work. Though I am not sold on the taste. Do a quick search on Blinkit/Instamart and these bars show up really low
Which brings me to the real question: Why do the less protein efficient options seem so much more visible in quick commerce and retail? Is it distribution? Price? Taste? Marketing?
Do buyers care less about protein per calorie, or do we see "protein bar" and assume they're broadly equivalent? How much of this is a label-literacy gap, and how much is simply people wanting a tasty snack with some extra protein? I'd love to hear from people building this category. Surely there's room for a bar that gets the numbers, taste, price AND availability right.
Taste ratings are my personal opinions. The infographic compares selected products using brand-published nutrition figures; it isn't an overall health ranking.