HONG KONG SAR – 21 May 2021 – Gautam Param and Leon Chen started meal replacement company Sustenance to solve this key issue that most of us are facing – “I wanted a simple way to eat healthy without putting my diet at the center of my life. I didn’t like other options in the market, they had lots of artificial junk and were too far away from nature to be considered an actual meal.”
Noting this gap in the market, the duo wanted to offer people with minimally processed products that use real food ingredients from premium suppliers. Their products contain plenty of protein and fiber and minimal bad stuff like saturated fat and artificial junk.
“The idea behind Sustenance is simple — we want to make it simple and painless for people to eat healthy. We want to empower people to lead healthy, disease-free lives without having to put diets at the centre of their lives,” said Gautam.
Gautam added that Sustenance is suitable for time-starved people like busy workers who prefer quick, yet healthy meals. There are also some who turn to Sustenance to incorporate it as part of their diet to lose weight.
The winning factor of Sustenance over a conventional meal is its convenience. If you are short on time, can’t find affordable options or healthy food around you, then Sustenance’s meal shakes make a good alternative to unhealthy food.
“Science has established that consistently eating healthy is a behavioural problem, not a knowledge problem. People know what eating healthy means, but they struggle with doing it consistently in the long run because of the hassle.”
“Nobody wants to spend their lunch break queuing (up for food), spend a bomb eating grain bowls every day, or spend an hour cooking and cleaning up during weekdays. If we can reduce the friction to eating healthier, many people would eat healthier more consistently.”
This is the unique proposition of meal replacements – they serve as a “backup option” that is readily available anytime, anywhere.
Most of their customers started out as non-believers who never tried any meal replacements before. However, after buying and trying their products, they instantly became converts.
“These people who were initially on the fence end up being regular customers and making many repeat purchases. They would then recommend it to their family and friends — this is our main source of growth.”
Its pool of customers has grown to several thousands over the past 12 months, and its products are rated 4.9 out of 5.0 stars across hundreds of reviews on Google and Facebook. Many of these reviews talk about the unexpected deliciousness of the shakes despite its green appearance, and how filling they are.
The company has grown by more than six times in 2020 and started selling in Hong Kong and Australia in March 2021. They plan on entering two more markets by the end of 2021.
