Would anyone like to see SNS or CEL make a carb powder? (Discussion thread)

[Mike Arnold]

Since this thread is back to having some activity to it, I would like to ask a few questions.

1. For an HBCD, if you could pick 2 flavors what would they be? (For me, they would be between Blue Raspberry Popsicle, Pink Grapefruit, Blackberry Mojito, Rocket Pop, and Tea flavors)
2. For a carb blend with Purple Sweet Potato, Oat Powder, and Glucomannan - what ratios would you like to see? I personally don't care about the Glucomannan being in it; I'm not against it, I just don't care either way. But my thought would be 25 grams carbs per scoop and I would like a 50:50 split between the Sweet Potato and the Oats.

That's exactly what my formula looks like. I've been working on whole food powders of EVERY IMAGINABLE variety for 5 years now. I changed my mind about 100 times. I started with a super comprehensive wholefood meal replacement that would've been...by far...the most nutritious bodybuilding meal replacement in the history of this industry, but after 2 manufacturers told me the product would cost me over $70 a unit, I said "No thanks".

I then moved to a less comprehensive, but still pinnacle product. Once again, I scrapped it because everyone I spoke to told me there was no way they could make the product taste anywhere near as good as the competition because of the ingredients in my formula.

After that, I began working with NutraCap (NEVER AGAIN) because they led me to believe they could and would source any ingredient I wanted...and complete the product in 12 weeks. LOL! A full YEAR later they still hadn't even approved the label...and at NutraCap, the label needs to be approved BEFORE they will make your product. In other words, a YEAR LATER they had accomplished virtually nothing...and they tried to blaming me! Unbelievable. I should've believed all the bad reviews I saw before hiring them. It was so bad that it took 4+ months just to try and correct a SINGLE label issue. Why? After I first gave them the label, it took them two whole months to even review it...and when they did, they told me that something needed to be changed...and I made the change in one day. It then took them ANOTHER 2 months (I'm not shitting you) to review the correction...and once they did, thy told me that they had a made a mistake and that I needed to change the label back to what it was before! Yes, I'm serious. At that point I asked for my money back and they promptly complied...because I had email proof of their employees admitting that they hadn't held up to their end of the bargain (in regards to production timeframes).

After That I went back to my original manufacturer (who I should've stuck with all along) and contemplated making a whole food based product with added low-dose EAAs, but again, I scrapped it because I just didn't feel confident about it.

It's only been in the last two months that I finally put together some innovative formulas that are both super nutritious and (will be) awesome tasting. However, unlike the prior products, these are solely carb powders...similar to 5% Nutrition's Sweet Potato carb powder, but more nutritious and with more ingredients. Like you, I decided on splitting the sweet potato/purple sweet potato and oats 50/50. Using 100% purple sweet potato makes the product too expensive and also limits the favor profile because oats are so easy to flavor. You can make oats taste like almost anything.

 

[Hyde]

Thank you for the feedback from everyone so far.

I do like the idea of doing one sweet and one sour (and we do plan on doing an unflavored) - the only thing with trying to make a tart or sour flavor on the HBCD is I'm not sure how feasible that will be in this case since its a carb. My original thought was for the Blackberry Mojito flavor, to do a Blackberry Mojito sour or either a tart Lemon Lime. I'm just not sure if will be able to get it to taste right in this case. But going to try.

If you are going to do a Blackberry Mojito Focus, having HBCD in that flavor would be pretty cool.

 

[sns8778]

If you are going to do a Blackberry Mojito Focus, having HBCD in that flavor would be pretty cool.

I'm looking to do a Blackberry Mojito flavor in Focus XT and also thinking about doing that flavor in the upcoming SNS EAA product and maybe doing a sour version of it in the upcoming CEL intra/EAA product.

 

[sns8778]

That's exactly what my formula looks like. I've been working on whole food powders of EVERY IMAGINABLE variety for 5 years now. I changed my mind about 100 times. I started with a super comprehensive wholefood meal replacement that would've been...by far...the most nutritious bodybuilding meal replacement in the history of this industry, but after 2 manufacturers told me the product would cost me over $70 a unit, I said "No thanks".

I then moved to a less comprehensive, but still pinnacle product. Once again, I scrapped it because everyone I spoke to told me there was no way they could make the product taste anywhere near as good as the competition because of the ingredients in my formula.

After that, I began working with NutraCap (NEVER AGAIN) because they led me to believe they could and would source any ingredient I wanted...and complete the product in 12 weeks. LOL! A full YEAR later they still hadn't even approved the label...and at NutraCap, the label needs to be approved BEFORE they will make your product. In other words, a YEAR LATER they had accomplished virtually nothing...and they tried to blaming me! Unbelievable. I should've believed all the bad reviews I saw before hiring them. It was so bad that it took 4+ months just to try and correct a SINGLE label issue. Why? After I first gave them the label, it took them two whole months to even review it...and when they did, they told me that something needed to be changed...and I made the change in one day. It then took them ANOTHER 2 months (I'm not shitting you) to review the correction...and once they did, thy told me that they had a made a mistake and that I needed to change the label back to what it was before! Yes, I'm serious. At that point I asked for my money back and they promptly complied...because I had email proof of their employees admitting that they hadn't held up to their end of the bargain (in regards to production timeframes).

After That I went back to my original manufacturer (who I should've stuck with all along) and contemplated making a whole food based product with added low-dose EAAs, but again, I scrapped it because I just didn't feel confident about it.

It's only been in the last two months that I finally put together some innovative formulas that are both super nutritious and (will be) awesome tasting. However, unlike the prior products, these are solely carb powders...similar to 5% Nutrition's Sweet Potato carb powder, but more nutritious and with more ingredients. Like you, I decided on splitting the sweet potato/purple sweet potato and oats 50/50. Using 100% purple sweet potato makes the product too expensive and also limits the favor profile because oats are so easy to flavor. You can make oats taste like almost anything.

Thanks for the input.

I'm sorry to hear that you've had some negative experiences with contract manufacturers. I've had my fair share of those in the past myself, but I'm pretty happy with the ones that we use now. I do formulation and raw material sourcing for quite a few brands and a big part of that is helping to align brands with contract manufacturers that will best suit their needs - so I have good relationships with and access to a lot of good contract manufacturers. The main thing from my side is that we have so many sku's that I've been trying to balance increasing inventory levels with coming out with new products and that's a constant juggling act.

I love the science and formulation side of things and I have more formulas at some stage of design process than would ever be feasible to actually come out with - I've had to take a step back on that and there's a process I use now to gauge demand on things and I make sure for the most part that I bring things out that people want and that will sell well versus just things that I would like for myself haha. (Like me really wanting to do a Cytomax competitor - I do think it would sell, but its very low profit and my main motivation is just wanting one for me haha).

I'm leaning towards doing a carbohydrate product like this with purple sweet potato, sweet potato, and gluten free oats. I will probably start it off unflavored or possibly unflavored and then maybe one flavor.

I'm also looking at doing a product that has 50 grams of carbs to 50 grams of protein in at least 2 flavors shortly after we get our protein powders released, which will hopefully be by the end of the year.

 

[GreenMachineX]

I’m a Cluster Dextrin guy myself. Unflavored powder so that I can mix it with all my other intra stuff.

As for other carb powders. I LOVED the first 5% Nutrition Real Food, especially the Sweet Potato Pie flavor. I used to mix it with my protein and drink it post workout. Crazy expensive but damn it tasted good.

What brand cluster dextrin do you use?

 

[TheMrMuscle]

What brand cluster dextrin do you use?

I usually just get a Swedish brand that has the Cluster Dextrin from Glico: https://www.glico.com/nutrition/en/product/finechemical/cdextrin/

 

[Resolve10]

I usually just get a Swedish brand that has the Cluster Dextrin from Glico: https://www.glico.com/nutrition/en/product/finechemical/cdextrin/

Silly MrMuscle we are stuck in the USA over here.

 

[TheMrMuscle]

Silly MrMuscle we are stuck in the USA over here.

Haha well you should be glad, we have a balmy -32 degrees celsius today.