YFood

yfood (yfood Labs) develops and sells "Smart Food" products: ready-to-drink meals in 500 ml bottles, meal powders (shakes) and snack bars. The company positions the range as a complete-nutrition backup for situations where a freshly prepared meal is not possible. A Classic drink contains 500 kcal, covering about 25% of an adult's daily energy needs based on a 2,000 kcal reference, and provides balanced macronutrients plus 26 vitamins and minerals; a Classic Choco 500 ml drink lists 37 g carbohydrates, 30 g protein, 24 g fat and 9.2 g fibre. Powder servings are prepared at 400 ml for roughly 400 kcal, allowing the consumer to set mixing ratio and calorie content, while 60 g bars are positioned as between-meal snacks with 25 vitamins and minerals. Products are lactose-free and gluten-free, contain no added mono- and disaccharides, and are marketed as low glycemic index. Drinks are sold in classic, vegan and fruity lines plus limited editions such as the Batman collection and a citrus range, with 44 items listed in the drinks collection.

Product lines carry stated shelf lives without preservatives: 12 months for Classic and Vegan drinks and bars, 10 months for Classic Powder, 6 months for Vegan Powder and 5 months for the Fruity range. The company also states it sells products with reduced remaining shelf life (minimum one month guaranteed) to limit food waste. Satiety claims are attributed to testing with the ZIEL Institute for Food & Health at the Technical University of Munich and research conducted with the University of Lübeck, comparing the drinks with conventional convenience foods such as a burger or Caesar salad, with a stated satiety duration of 3–5 hours for drinks and 2–3 hours for bars.

Founding story

The founders, Noël Bollmann and Ben Kremer, started the company after relying on fast food and irregular eating in demanding work environments, and set out to build a balanced food product that could be consumed when time was short.

Business model

Direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales of packaged nutrition products via the company's own multi-language, multi-country online shop, combined with distribution through physical retail. Online customers can buy one-off packs or subscribe with automatic reordering at chosen intervals for a 15% discount and subscriber-only promotions.

Product sales at per-pack prices: five-bottle taster packs at €19.95 and six-bottle packs at €23.94 (about €3.99 per meal, discounted to €3.39), powder at about €2.08 per meal in 12-meal format and bars at about €2.67 per snack; subscriptions apply an automatic 15% discount. Press coverage in April 2020 described the business as generating multi-million euros in revenue per month while remaining profitable, with revenue growth of over 300% in the preceding year.

Traction

Over 200,000 online customers and availability in more than 13,000 retail outlets as of April 2020, with more than 70 employees and revenue growth above 300% year on year; company pages later cite presence in more than 20,000 stores across Europe and a drinks catalogue of 44 items.

Latest developments

Launch of a Batman limited-edition drinks line comprising four flavours (Stracciatella, Waffle & Cream, Fudge Brownie and Raspberry) sold individually and as a six-bottle collection, alongside limited-edition citrus Fruity flavours (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit) and a pistachio drink.