How Ranveer Singh & Nikunj Biyani Are Turning India’s Snack Habit Into A Protein Revolution

Doesn’t matter whether you are a brawny biceps braggart or a ubiquitous officegoer, protein is of undeniable importance for your wellbeing. 

At least 90% of Indians aren’t aware of this. In fact, protein deficiency has remained a perennial pain point when it comes to the diet of the average Indian, with nearly 73% running low on the compound that’s essential for the survival of every single cell of our body. The widespread misconception that protein is for gym-goers leads a significant portion of the population in the dark.

This striking, if not shocking, reality played behind the making of protein supplement brand SuperYou. “The protein gap in India is not just a statistic, it’s a reflection of how we’ve misunderstood nutrition as a whole,” said cofounder Nikunj Biyani, a fitness enthusiast himself. 

“Protein is fundamental for everyone — not just for bodybuilders or athletes,” he reiterated. Biyani told Inc42 that SuperYou aims to fill up this protein gap in India by creating products that are easy to access, affordable, and appealing to a wider audience. 

Biyani teamed up with actor Ranveer Singh to roll out SuperYou last November with the hope of positioning it as India’s go-to protein brand by integrating protein into everyday diets. Launched under Think9 Consumer, the brand started with four SKUs, including protein wafers, and plans to expand with chips and biscuits.

“We will add protein to everything that Indian consumers love,” Biyani said. The brand is now focussing on food products like snacks. In the long term, it will explore other categories, including supplements and breakfast options such as granola, oats, and cereals with higher protein content.

The products are available on various platforms, including its website and marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart, and even on quick commerce platforms like Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, and Blinkit. It is also present in Reliance stores, trade outlets such as Wellness Forever and Nature’s Basket, vending machines via Dal Chini at airports, and Food Stories. It has a presence in over 450 general trade stores across Delhi, Mumbai, and Jaipur, according to Biyani. 

About 70% of the brand’s sales, he said, comes from online, with quick commerce contributing around 30%. 

The Mumbai-based startup has recently raised Series A funding from Rainmatter Capital, the VC arm of Zerodha’s Nikhil and Nithin Kamath. Biyani refused to divulge the funding amount but stressed that the brand is focussed on transforming India from a protein-deficient to a protein-sufficient country by bringing protein in various edible forms.

The Building Block Of SuperYou  

Biyani, who is a nephew of Indian businessman Kishore Biyani, has spent more than half of his career in the FMCG space. He started his professional life in Future Group as a fresh graduate and served in multiple roles where he gained experience in understanding consumer behaviour, sales, and operations. 

Later on, he served as the business head for foods at Future Consumer, the FMCG arm of the Kishore Biyani-led conglomerate. 

It is pertinent to note that Future Consumer Limited (FCL) was one of 19 companies slated for transfer to Reliance Retail as part of an INR 24,713 Cr deal announced in August 2020. The deal was later called off in 2024 by the Mukesh Ambani-led business empire, triggering a series of challenges for Future Group. After the deal fell through, the company witnessed a major exodus in leadership roles. 

During his stint at Future Consumer, Biyani led the packaged foods vertical, where he worked with all categories of foods such as pasta, biscuits, chips, frozen foods and namkeens. 

“SuperYou is a union of my professional experience in the FMCG sector and my passion for sports and fitness,” he said. 

Biyani did a lot of research on the market, product possibilities and consumer insight with his team at Future Group. He gathered knowledge of innovation in nutrition, health and wellness from nutraceutical fairs in the US.

“We saw a whitespace in the market. When people think of a brand in a category, they often associate it with a dominant player – like how Ching’s is synonymous with Chinese food products in India. In the protein space, no such brand existed (outside of the nutraceutical segment, which is already saturated with protein powders). Our vision for SuperYou was to make protein consumption easy, fun, and accessible to all,” the founder said.

After 18 months of background study, Biyani and his team went into developing products – from supplements to bars – until they finally decided to launch the brand with wafers. 

“It was a unique product as nobody in India was offering it, and it’s positioned as a hybrid between chocolate and a protein bar. Unlike traditional protein bars that cater mainly to gym-goers, this product has the potential to appeal to a much broader audience. Cofounder Ranveer Singh adds to the mass appeal of the product.”

Supplements typically have friction points as they target a niche market of fitness enthusiasts, whereas a snack like wafers is more accessible and appealing to a larger consumer base.

The brand now aims to bring more snacking options filled with protein to cater to a mass audience and not remain restricted to gym-goers. 

The startup has started accelerating product development and chips, and biscuits are likely to hit the shelves within a month.

The Making Of SuperYou

Biyani believes that building a brand goes beyond the product, and is about the entire experience and the value you provide to consumers beyond the product. 

Since any product can be copied, what differentiates a brand is how it engages with its consumers and creates a lasting impression, he observed.

Biyani said he owes Future Consumer a lot for his learnings that went into the making of SuperYou. “One of the biggest takeaways is that beyond the top 1% of the population in India, price elasticity is a major factor. Many young brands assume that they can charge premium prices, but I firmly believe that to scale, a product needs to be price-attractive.” 

Another crucial learning has been that brand matters immensely because products can be commoditised quickly, he added.

This is one reason that makes the brand keep on innovating. It claims to be one of the first to use fermented yeast protein technology. “We believe eating well should be simple, not stressful. We focus on balance, mindful choices, and overall well-being,” Biyani said.

SuperYou also looks to build a strong presence through various channels, including online digital marketing by leveraging social media, website content, and targeted ads, besides influencer partnerships, particularly with Singh.

The company engages in public relations and events, participating in offline activities, college activations, and collaborations to raise awareness about its brand and build the protein gap.

Innovation And Expansion Strategy

While the brand is relatively new, it has experienced inventory challenges at a very early stage.

“When we started with Blinkit, we expected to sell 1,000-2,000 units daily, but within two months, the number grew to 10,000. Initially, we had no clear sense of demand, now, with better data, we can forecast and plan inventory more effectively.”

The brand now serves about 4,000 customers a day, with a repeat rate of over 25% on platforms like Blinkit.

Another major challenge, as per the cofounder, is distribution. For young brands, standing out in the crowded market requires relentless creativity and innovation in product development, communication, and marketing, he said.

In the health and wellness category, the brand competes with the likes of Yogabar, Max Protein, The Whole Truth and Gladful. 

Its biggest competitors are, according to Biyani, brands like Snickers, which have a massive target audience. “The challenge is to convince a Snickers consumer to choose SuperYou instead – a product that offers protein, no refined sugar, and no palm oil, making it a significantly better choice.”

With a presence in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, the brand will soon be launched at Ratnadeep chain in Hyderabad and has also tied up with Lulu Malls for Indian markets as well as to reach out to the Middle East. 

The months-old startup has achieved more than 5 Lakh consumers. In the very first month of its launch, it grossed over INR 1.5 Cr in GMV, in January, it did around INR 2.2 Cr in GMV and expects to hit INR 8 Cr by August or September.

Biyani plans to bring in more flavours to the existing wafers while also expanding into snacks. The brand also aims at the breakfast category with high-protein options like granola, oats, and cereals.

With much on the anvil, can SuperYou become the go-to snacking brand for protein-conscious Indians?

[Edited By Kumar Chatterjee]

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