Muniq Makes a New Play at the Gut Health Category

For about three years, the Los Angeles-based Uplifting Results Labs’ consumer brand Muniq has consisted of just a single product: a meal-replacement protein shake. But in a signal the company’s success and growth strategy, Muniq has launched two new products in the last month – Empowerfull Prebiotic Fiber Blend sticks and Muniq Bars – in hopes of reshaping how consumers understand the role of the gut’s microbiome and healthy eating.

Uplifting Results Labs was founded in 2019 by Marc Washington, former president and chief operating officer of fitness and weight loss brand Beachbody who created the food tech and consumer health company as a tribute to his younger sister Monica who passed away due to chronic health problems. With a focus on developing research-backed wellness products around resistant starch, a prebiotic fiber that feeds and strengthens the good bacteria in the intestines, Uplifting Results is sold exclusively online. The three-year-old business completed a $8.2 million Series A funding in December 2020 with participation from Alpha Edison and Acre Venture Partners as well as former NBA Allstar Baron Davis and wellness entrepreneur Cathy Richards.

“We’re trying to take a literal approach to the old adage ‘let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food,’” Washington said.

Resistant starch is the catalyst for positive health outcomes

Although there are many prebiotic health foods on the market, few offer resistant starch as the foundational ingredient, which plays an important role in controlling appetite, regulating blood sugar levels and boosting immunity, Washington said.

All Muniq products are based around a proprietary blend of resistant starch that utilizes green banana powder, oat beta glucan, resistant potato starch and a soluble vegetable fiber from maize to promote weight loss and improve the gut microbiome.

Resistant starch-branded products, like Gut Garden or Dr. Mercola, are marketed as dietary supplements to be added to beverages or food. Muniq’s first product was intentionally launched as a full meal-replacement powdered shake that comes in the familiar strawberry, vanilla and chocolate flavors, with 15 grams of protein, 15 grams of prebiotic fiber and zero sugar. Following the success of its shakes, Muniq released its Empowerfull Prebiotic Fiber Blend sticks that, like other supplements, can add a gut health boost to coffee, tea, oatmeal or even baked into muffins or cookies.

Now, the company hopes to muscle into the somewhat crowded category of prebiotic snack foods with last week’s launch of Muniq Bars. The nutritional bars have been a year-and-a-half in the making and Washington credits the product as both a unique addition to the bar category as well as “the hardest product that I’ve had to commercialize.”

Getting 10 grams of protein, 10 grams of resistant starch and zero sugar packed into a bar format that still tasted good was a real struggle, he said. “Part of the strategy is to make it easier and more convenient to get these nutrients into your diet on a very consistent basis whether it’s through a shake or a bar.”

Marketing to a multicultural and under-served communities

The gut health food company has always been built on the idea of a D2C model as a way to directly communicate with its customer base. The strength of D2C, Washington said, is being able to better engage and educate consumers on the importance of the body’s microbiome. Muniq’s website sports a comprehensive blog that expounds on the resistant starch research as well as the foundations of healthy eating.

A fundamental aspect of Muniq’s branding is through its inclusive approach to multicultural communities where obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol lower health outcomes. These consumers have largely been underserved when it comes to nutrition, health and wellness, Washington said.

“I’m proud to be a black founder in this space,” he added. “We’re trying to meet people wherever they are in their health journey, regardless of their background and be very intentional about diversity and inclusion.”

The company shows a broad diaspora of people on its site and through its social media channels exemplifying this approach. Even developing the brand’s first product as not just a protein shake but a meal-replacement option was part of that calculation.

Although not inexpensive, the shakes can replace breakfast or lunch at about $3.50 per full-serving, providing a value-based option as a meal.

Washington has seen the ups and downs of launching and running a business during the pandemic. Even in its first two weeks of release, Muniq bars are already receiving positive feedback. Despite the decline of bar sales during the pandemic, the company is confident that the bar will become an integral part of its offerings.

“All we know as a brand and a company is operating in crazy times,” he laughed.