This Startup Is Promoting Healthy and Tasty Snacking
Fancy munching on a slightly indulgent snack rather than a packet of crisps? ASAP Granola bars by WIMWI Foods marries the salubrious and the savoury, making it an ideal snack for on-the-go. Recently, WIMWI Foods raised funding from Parle, cementing its position as a rising FMCG player.
By Tahira Noor Khan •
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Are you looking for healthy snacking options in delicious forms? Completely in sync with the dietary requirements of the gen-next, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) batchmates Srishti Shaw and Kanupradeep Subramaniam cofounded WIMWI Foods, an acronym for "Well-Known Institute of Management in Western India'.
"Snacking is the biggest source of temptation and guilt for anyone trying to eat healthy. To build a guilt-free snacking option, we wanted to develop an option that is healthy, convenient to eat and, most importantly, tasty," reveals Shaw.
The decision to launch ASAP Bars was driven by Shaw and Subramanian's interactions with customers in the market and their friends who were beginning to venture into the corporate world. "As most of us are pressed for time in our respective jobs, something as significant as healthy eating takes a back seat unfortunately. ASAP Bars as a product was designed to fulfil this market need," claims Subramanian.
Shaw and Subramaniam worked for about a year to come up with the perfect recipe, design and packaging for the product. In less than three years, ASAP Bars were available across the country in more than 3,000 stores. They are also available online on all major platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, BigBasket, apart from its official website biteasap.com. The company has also received undisclosed funding from FMCG major Parle this year.
Subramanian claims that ASAP Granola Bars stand out from other similar variants as they use high-quality whole ingredients. The catchy "ASAP' (As Simple as Possible and also As Soon as Possible) coinage is significant at two levels. It signals the brand's view that healthy food should be something that is simple enough for everyone to understand. Secondly, true to its name, ASAP Bars stand for a quick, convenient snacking option for instant energy.
DESIGN DRAMA
LOGO VOGO: The squirrel on the packet represents a simple creature that loves to snack on healthy foods like nuts and berries.
SEE-THROUGH ME: The packaging of ASAP bars has a transparent window that displays the high-quality ingredients customers would want to eat while snacking.
THE KINGS' FOOD: ASAP Granola Bars has partnered with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as the licensed energy bar partner.
FOOD FOR ALL: You can enjoy a 40 gm ASAP Bar at Rs 30.
(This article was first published in the November 2019 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine. To subscribe, click here)
