Earlier this week; I discussed the increasing public interest in health and wellness, and how the 19 billion dollar supplement market has skyrocketed with a significant lack of regulation for dietary supplement manufacturers and distributors. As the supplement industry continues to grow and mature; one thing remains a constant - the general public is becoming more health conscious and is becoming more aware of what they are putting into their bodies.
Meet Ample
San Francisco based food-startup Ample had created a healthy, well-balanced “meal-in-a-bottle” designed for busy, health-conscious individuals who don’t want to sacrifice nutrition for convenience. The average on-the-go person resorts to convenient snacks or the “most hyped” meal replacement drinks, powders, or bars without understanding the types and quality of ingredients, caloric makeup, and overall nutrition they were actually putting into their bodies. In my last article, I highlighted a company that is meeting consumer needs to understanding what they are taking with their supplements; Ample is doing the same with food.
400 Calorie & 600 Calorie Options
Specifically, their goal is not to create another “health food” but to actually improve the status quo and create something that is truly groundbreaking. As Ample founder Connor Young discussed in an insightful post on Medium “I’ve gotten a chance to see exactly how the food industry works, including the good, bad and ugly of food brands. And I’ve come to some conclusions on exactly how new food companies need to operate in order to revolutionize our unhealthy health food industry.”
The Right Mission At The Right Time
Let’s examine the average health-conscious American diet. What are a few things that come to mind? Well for starters, thinking about nutrition means saying goodbye to cake and cookies, alcohol and beer (in excess), and generally cutting back on the sugar. The average health-conscious person may opt to consume more veggies, more lean meats, more protein.
Yet, by examining the raising rates of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes — not just in the US, but globally, it’s pretty clear that we have quite a long way to go. And making that first step toward change can be a challenge.
What’s Inside The Bottle?
Yes, Ample comes in a bottle; but it’s not quite ready-to-drink. Before consuming; you must first add water or milk to the powder and give it a shake (vigorously). The end result is a viscous liquid - but a liquid with quite a hefty amount of science inside. To begin, it’s loaded with protein and amino acids. It also has some “healthy fats” (monounsaturated fats, MCTs, and omega-3s) from coconut, macadamia, chia seed, and sunflower. It’s also got 4 types of fiber to keep you full, support digestive health, and nourish micro-biome inside the gut to help absorb and digest nutrients. Although it has 21 grams of fat, it has no GMO’s, artificial sweeteners or flavor, and no soy or gluten. They also offer a vegetarian version called Ample X with hydrolyzed brown rice protein, with a vegan formula in the works.
Here is the complete list of ingredients found in Ample.
So What’s Next
After a massively successful Indiegogo campaign last May, ( and becoming the #1 food campaign ever in the process). The company raised $1,000,000 dollars from investors and scaled up production to fulfill their $420,000 in pre-sales and prepared for their Q4 2016 launch. Ample is continuously striving to improve their product and launch new formulas to comply with the numerous types of popular diets.
To create any change, it’s going to take more than will - it will take the best minds in nutrition, genetics, and biochemistry. It will take partnering with research institutions to conduct studies, and incorporating that knowledge into action to fuel every iteration of a product. Are they playing the long game - yes. Are they getting close - I definitely think so!
The reality is the food industry, especially in America, has low standards and is all-around mediocre. The objectives and the mindset are certainly there, but it’s forward thinking startups like Ample that are actually going to make a difference. Why? Because they make access easy.