Amarpreet Singh Anand, Founder and CEO, Superfoods Valley
With a significant portion of the urban population grappling with lifestyle diseases such as high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and vitamin deficiencies, the importance of making nutrition easy, transparent and accessible to consumers alongside a regulated diet, cannot be overstated. Superfoods Valley, a Bengaluru-based Food & Nutrition Tech startup is dedicated to addressing these nutritional challenges in India through the development of technology and disruptive food product solutions. In a conversation with NUFFOODS Spectrum, Amarpreet Singh Anand, Founder and CEO of Superfoods Valley sheds light on the startup’s recently launched nutrition mix and India’s first personalised food recommendation app.
Superfoods Valley has recently launched Good Monk, a nutrition mix, and What’s Your NIQ (WNIQ), a personalised food recommendation app. Could you provide us with an update on these recent developments?
Superfoods Valley is a Nutrition and Food-Tech Company, working towards “Making Nutrition Easy”. Our mission is to raise awareness about health, food, and nutrition gaps and offer unique product solutions to address micro-nutrient deficiencies.
We have introduced two innovative products. Good Monk is a blend of highly bioavailable ingredients, including 130 Cr. Probiotics & Fibre, Lysine (a protein building block), Vit A, B6, B9, B12, C, D, Iron, Zinc, Ashwagandha, and Brahmi. This combination of 13 Nutri-Herbs improves gut health, boosts immunity, provides energy, and supports mental development. The ‘No Colour, Smell and Taste’ feature of the product makes it easy for mothers to smuggle nutrition into their family’s food.
What’s Your NIQ (WNIQ) is India’s first personalised Food Recommendation app, designed to help Indian consumers make smarter food choices. It enables users to assess the nutritive value of commonly purchased and consumed foods by considering the nutrition information provided on the packaging.
At Superfoods Valley our aim is to bridge the nutrition gap by offering products and data-backed tech solutions that combat the ongoing endemic of hidden hunger. Our goal is to empower consumers to reinstate the significance of nutrition in today’s food.
The company has recently garnered an investment of $1 million. Could you share how this funding will be utilised? Additionally, what is the total investment in the startup, and what revenue are you expecting in FY 22-23?
In our country, 8 out of 10 people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, and our aim is to address this issue through our products and initiatives. Unfortunately, many individuals do not take proactive steps to solve this problem, leading to numerous health issues among both children and adults. Superfoods Valley has recently secured a $1 million investment from Multiply Ventures, in addition to the support from distinguished angel investors, prominent CEOs, and creative minds.
Supporting Superfoods Valley in its pursuit of wholesome nutrition is a cohort of scientific councils including renowned names such as Dr PR Krishnaswamy, the former director and founder of the Protein Foods and Nutrition Development Association of India, Dr B Sesikeran, the former director of the National Institute of Nutrition, Mallika Janakiraman, the founder of nutriQ360 Degrees, Sheela Krishnaswamy, a nutrition and wellness consultant and former President of the Indian Dietetic Association (IDA), and Dr Shovan Ganguli, an R&D expert with over 30 years of experience. This investment will enable us to expand our product line and further our mission of providing easy and accessible nutrition to Indian households.
How many people are currently on your team? Are you planning to hire more staff, and in which areas of expertise?
We have a diverse pool of talent from research, manufacturing, nutrition experts, technology, marketing and sales teams. Moving forward, we intend to expand our teams specifically in the technology, research and nutrition fields. This expansion will ensure that our customers have access to the best-in-class nutrition products that cater to the evolving lifestyle needs of modern Indian families.
What are your major expansion plans for 2023?
In our country, hidden hunger is a significant issue, as many individuals suffer from a deficiency of essential micronutrients, without even realising it or taking steps to address it. At Good Monk, we perceive this challenge as an opportunity to create awareness about Hidden Hunger and promote preventive measures. Our product is unique combining 13 nutri-herbs that have shown promising results in improving gut health, boosting immunity, increasing energy levels, and supporting mental development. Our focus for 2023 is to build awareness about our product and drive its adoption among consumers.
Do you have your own R&D and manufacturing facilities? Could you tell us how your products are developed?
Superfoods Valley has a robust R&D and manufacturing team. Our products are scientifically formulated for Indian families, considering the key nutrition deficiencies observed across Indian households based on the Comprehensive National Nutrition (CNNS) Survey conducted from 2016 to 2018. Our patent-pending product, Good Monk, is a unique combination of probiotics, lysine, essential vitamins, minerals and herbs that offer multiple health benefits. We also utilise clinically proven ingredients, including unique Probiotic-Bacillus Coagulans strains that are heat-stable and can survive the acidic environment of the stomach, providing better digestive balance. To ensure safety and effectiveness, all our ingredients undergo over 150 quality checks.
What are the current challenges faced by your food supplement startup?
One of the most common challenges faced by players in this segment is the lack of awareness. Despite the growing interest in health and nutrition, there is still a significant lack of awareness among Indian consumers regarding the benefits of good nutrition. Many families in India still do not know what hidden hunger is, and how it can affect their loved ones. However, we view this as an opportunity to educate and promote nutrition and health in the easiest form for our consumers by making nutrition easy through our flagship product, Good Monk.
What suggestions do you have for new entrants in a similar field?
Building a team that shares the same passion and vision can make the journey easier and more enjoyable for companies that have just entered the market. We recommend finding like-minded partners. Additionally, adaptability is a crucial skill in a world that is constantly evolving in terms of technology and globalisation. Being flexible and open to constant learning is essential. Lastly, prioritising food safety is of utmost importance in the food industry, so maintaining proper hygiene and quality standards is crucial.
How do you plan to address the problem of hidden hunger in India? What are your expectations from the government?
As a food tech company, we have collaborated with nutrition and wellness experts to support nutritional transparency and address the issue of hidden hunger. We aim to educate our consumers and help them take steps to tackle this problem. We are confident that our products, Good Monk, and What’s your NIQ app, will significantly assist people in taking appropriate actions. The government is taking positive steps to promote best practices for health and nutrition in households across the country. We believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has only made us more cautious and stronger. We appreciate the government’s initiatives such as food fortification, and front-of-pack product labelling, as well as programmes like Poshan Abhiyaan and Fit India. These efforts align with our mission of solving hidden hunger. We look forward to the government’s support and potential collaboration, where the government and private sector can work together to make nutrition a top priority in every Indian household.
Mansi Jamsudkar