This homegrown brand promises high-quality and affordable protein supplements

Health enthusiasts keen on gaining muscle know the value of protein supplements. However, whey protein isolates made from milk are beneficial for other reasons too – recovering from an injury, adding extra protein to a vegetarian’s diet, and even as a means to lose weight. Recognising that protein supplements are a burgeoning industry, Anish Garg and Namrata Agarwal launched Delhi-based Abbzorb in 2019 to provide high-quality products.

“We wanted to offer good nutrition to consumers at affordable prices. We understood that there was a gap in the market for a reliable Indian brand committed to providing the nutrition claimed on the product packaging. So, we started Abbzorb to ensure that consumers can rely on Indian products that are supported by independent internationally accredited lab results,” explain the founders in a chat with YSWeekender.

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The backdrop

Anish pursued an MBA in finance from Moore College, US. He went on to become one of the Directors of Business Development at Continental Milkose, which has onboarded several large institutional clients from the FMCG sector including Hindustan Unilever, Nestle India, Dabur, and Aimia. He also has extensive industrial experience in the field of nutraceuticals, ingredients, and co-manufacturing.

Meanwhile, Namrata, who has a BSc in Biology, handles the finance and administrative roles of the company.

After about a year of research to prepare the formulation of authentic and cost-effective supplements, Abbzorb began manufacturing their whey-based proteins and amino derivatives like creatine, BCAAs, and glutamine. For this purpose, they hired an in-house research team to do product development in their labs, which are also equipped for trials and analysis.

“A few years ago, there was a lot of tampering happening in the supplements market, many of which were being adulterated. This led to many problems – not just health issues but also decline in the trust of customers who became suspicious of dietary supplements, believing they were not good for one’s health,” shares Anish.

To this, Namrata adds, “The reality, however, is that whey protein is one of the best sources of protein as it offers high bioavailability and contains all nine essential amino acids extracted from cow’s milk. It is completely natural and can be consumed by everyone, once its authenticity is assured – which is our brand’s hallmark.”

The founders support this claim through a verification mechanism followed by quality reports from NABL affiliated labs. Additionally, their diverse team consisting of nutritionists, athletes, product experts, and dedicated customer care service officers, are on standby to provide inclusive assistance for all queries.

What’s on offer

Abbzorb launched with twelve products including whey protein, mass gainers, whey protein isolate, and creatine, among other offerings, in their first year. Each of their health supplements addresses the three pillars of performance, quality, and taste.

“We strive to close the gap between the consumer and the manufacturing process of the product. We do this by providing test reports that are accessible to everyone, detailed nutritional and ingredient listings, and by severely cutting down on the use of additives. We stay true to our initial concept of delivering only the best to the customer, with no curtains between the product and them. Our team constantly brainstorms on developing products to increase consumer reliability. All our products have a verification method that can be used to identify our genuine range. Each batch comes with an individual lab report,” says Anish.

The team consists of a food technologist, dairy technologist, nutritionist, and a three-stage sensory panel with a broad spectrum of knowledge on application, raw material, nutrition, and health. They work in a state-of-the-art research and development lab as well as a controlled atmosphere manufacturing facility to ensure minimum nutritional losses and effective bioavailability of the products.

Abbzorb’s products are exclusively sold online to reduce the chances of fortification of the product in the offline market. They can be bought from their website, as well as on Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, and soon, Nykaa as well.

Prices start from Rs 299 for their 500ml bottle of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar and go up to Rs 4,499 for their 1kg whey isolate chocolate pack. They also sell merchandise including T-shirts, gym bags, shakers, and more. These are priced reasonably and range from Rs 199 for an Abbzorb Shaker Bottle with mixer ball and go up to Rs 399 for their T-shirts.

Whey protein chocolate is their most popular product. The fast-absorbing and ultra-filtered whey protein isolate and concentrate offer 26.22 grams of protein per scoop. Each serving of Abbzorb whey protein contains 66mg of digestive enzymes to help in the easy absorption of protein. Further, their products contain no added sugars or soy protein, nor any preservatives.

The promise of zero carbohydrates helps consumers gain lean muscles and support muscle recovery. Further, each serving of Abbzorb delivers over 7.5 grams of naturally occurring branched-chain amino acids and 129 kCal of energy, which is required for intense workouts, as it is effective in muscle gain and protein synthesis.

Growth and future plans

According to a report published in mordorintelligence.com, the Indian whey protein market is expected to register a CAGR of 11 percent during the 2019 – 2024 period. India is one of the fastest developing nations in this segment, globally, which puts Abbzorb in a promising place.

They began the business with Rs 50 lakh as investment and have since registered impressive growth. In the financial year 2020-21, they grew by 346 percent on Abbzorb.com, 111 percent on Amazon, and 265 percent on Flipkart. Their returning customer rate is 50 percent.

Their direct competitors include brands like GNC, Musclblaze, Nutrabay AS-IT-IS, and Myprotein but Anish feels they are in a category of their own, owing to their transparency and affordability.

Namrata says, “We would like to scale up by tapping into new audiences/markets and would like to offer our product range to all those consumers who haven’t tasted Abbzorb. We are going to increase our marketing spending to achieve this.”

Anish highlights their future plans, “We are not planning to open any brick-and-mortar stores as of now but might explore the idea in the future. At the moment, however, we are keen to onboard an eminent personality as our brand ambassador to further instil confidence and trust among our consumers. We hope to get a flood of new consumers this way.”