Rosa Foods, the company behind meal-replacement-in-a-bottle, Soylent, yesterday announced the launch of Soylent Bridge, a new, lighter liquid designed to replace your snacking on solids.
The 11 oz. Soylent Bridge clocks in at 180 calories with 15 grams of plant-based protein and comes in chocolate flavor. The shelf-stable Bridge will last a year unopened and costs $26 for a 12 pack. The regular Soylent drink is 14 oz., has 400 calories and costs $39 for a 12-pack.
According to the marketing materials, Bridge is meant for in-between meal times (read: snacking). As someone who sometimes works in his kitchen and isn’t above grabbing (too many) handfuls of chips or yogurt covered almonds, it’s easy to see how a single serving of Bridge could help one keep better track of their caloric intake. It just needs to be tasty and filling so you don’t add more snacks on top of it.
It’s no coincidence that the new Bridge comes at the start of a new year, when people resolve to cut back on calories (this reporter included). But it also opens up a new market for the company, allowing it to go after people who still like chewing their regular meals.
This product line diversification will also help against meal replacement rivals like Ample, which raised $2 million last year, and Feed, a French startup that raised $17.4 million last year. While both of those fundraises pale in comparison to Soylent’s $72.4 million previous raises, Ample and Feed offer more variety in their products. Ample sells both Vegan and Ketogenic formulas of its meal replacements, while Feed has expanded into bars and food spreads.
Perhaps sensing the need to diversify its lineup, Soylent launched its own Innovation Lab last September. The Soylent Innovation Lab invited “up-and-coming food tech and other innovative companies who share our goals, vision, and values to join us in changing the way the world consumes food- for the better.” Though, we haven’t heard anything about companies accepted into the lab since it was announced.
Now that it’s here the only question left is: Will the new Soylent Bridge be a hit with new you that the new year will bring?
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