In Conversation With Nikita Naterwalla, Founder- Caim by årelang™

1. Covid-19 has changed the psyche around healthy eating and nutrition. What are some of the noticeable trends you have seen in the market?

If there ever was a time that people were forced to pay attention to their health and rely on the importance of strengthening the body’s defences, it was when the world was hit with the Coronavirus Pandemic. It came as a rude awakening, mostly for the laissez-faire. Suddenly words like immunity building, healthy eating, exercise, leading healthier lifestyles took precedence, with many swallowing copious amounts of Vitamin C, Zinc and other supplements, in an attempt to jump-start their immune systems overnight. Home confinement and reduced activities during the pandemic added strength in the belief that led to dramatic changes in lifestyle and dietary behaviours. It also gave ample time to reflect on the difference healthy eating made our bodies feel. The diet-fad revolution officially faded during this pandemic and was replaced by the Nutrition and Nourishment Revolution across the globe.

The pursuit of nutrient-rich diets, the increase in awareness on nutrition, replacing fast food with home-cooked meals and increasing foods to support immunity, have now all become a part of this new revolution. People are seeking quality supplementation and they are questioning everything they put into their bodies.

With more consumers becoming less fad-driven and more informed, players in the nutraceutical market will be forced to up their game and offer quality, result-driven products, with proven ingredients. The quest for immunity boosters, eye health, nutrient fortified foods, and to a great extent the mental health leveler for sleep, stress and anxiety will lead the demand trend for the next few years in the nutraceutical markets.

2. What are the opportunities anticipated in the health and wellness industry? How is the market (in terms of growth, size and opportunity) evolving in the Candyceuticals segment?

Health and Wellness has always dominated market segments and especially during the pandemic and its aftermath, consumer trends have evolved more in favour of healthy alternatives and watchful diets. Consumer trends have also fuelled the rise of telemedicine, at-home fitness and purchase demands. This gives a rising opportunity to companies in the D2C space.

A very recent FSSAI publication has slated the Indian Nutraceutical Market at $18B by 2027 from the current market size of $4B at an expected CAGR of 35%. With more consumers seeking quality supplements featured in newer and more delicious delivery modes, the Candyceuticals market will greatly impact this growth. Candyceuticals will be the way ahead for the nutraceutical market. The products are fun, delicious and the delivery method promises increased bioavailability of nutrients. On account of the taste and function, it motivates consumers to stick to the program without skipping doses. All in all, making them more effective.

In India, the Candyceuticals market is on the rise and it is opening up new opportunities for formulators who are willing to experiment both in terms of the latest applications and delivery formats. Reports suggest that the Candyceuticals market will grow by a six per cent CAGR through the end of this decade, reaching a market size of $5.8 billion worldwide in 2029, making India one of the biggest contributors to the increasingly global market size.

3. Please share the concept in brief, what is included when we use the term “Candyceuticals”?

Candyceuticals is a fairly new supplement delivery concept that has slowly started gaining momentum in the health and wellness sectors. It’s a fun new format, that delivers the supplementation and nutritional needs of your body through confectionery. Combining nutraceuticals into delicious, decadent candies gives rise to endless possibilities of delivery formats that are pleasurable to consume, rather than the alternatives of swallowing pills or dissolving powders. However, the trick here is for manufacturers to master the art of overcoming the challenges of heat in the manufacturing process of the candies to allow the nutrients to thrive, which can result in powerful and effective Candyceutical supplements.

Gummies, have been around for a while now and have already taken over a growing segment of this market. Candyceuticals offers a far more flexible, delicious supplement delivery format that is growing beyond the boundaries of gummies and encompassing formats of chocolates, hard candies, chewing gum as adaptations of daily our supplementation. The market also recognizes the stigma of sugar attached to the confectionery market and offers safe, natural sugar-free solutions for the weight and sugar conscious. Expanding this segment with delicious soft-centred chocolates and other forms of confectionery will most certainly be a more popular format for getting vital nutrients into the body.

4. Considering that you launched Caim by årelang™ amidst the pandemic, how has the response been throughout and what have been some of the highly sought-after products?

Caim by årelang™ was launched a few months after the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic in India settled, in the middle of August 2021. So, the majority of our developmental and production stages ran through the peak period of the India wide lockdown in 2021. Admittedly it has been a massive learning experience for us. Of course, there have been a lot of ups and downs, and some days have been frightfully frustrating, as the pace you want things to move at, was not exactly the pace they were moving at. But the 45 days of lockdown during the 2nd wave have been the most taxing in terms of timelines and expectations. Our factories were not running so this halted production, however, since our laboratories were functional, we optimized this time to run our ALTS, extensive product trials and clinical studies. It allowed us to spend time on our website and strategize marketing better. We were fortunate to get a lot of support and insight from our vendors, who were able to provide us with a lot more time to share their expertise while building great camaraderie and a lasting relationship with us. All in all, there were several silver linings we chose to concentrate on, rather than the eminent challenges.

We were aware of the challenges the restrictions of the pandemic would bring, economically for our consumers as well as the slowdown of the markets. But it also brought with it a rise in health awareness and the at-home purchase demands, which certainly boosted the D2C sectors greatly. We kept our focus on the goal and didn’t allow for the restrictions to restrict us and worked optimally during that period within the permissible barriers.

Once we launched, we were able to reach our target audiences effectively. Yes, developing the awareness of this new segment will be an ongoing process. We have received amazing testimonies on the taste and efficacy of our products, with a large percentage of returning customers, I would say that we have made a phenomenal start. Having launched with only 4 formulations that cater to diverse demographics, our product demand has run almost parallel. But the Rekindle Chocolates for Men and Women respectively, have gained more momentum and popularity as audiences in India, have for the first time, been exposed to delicious ganache filled dark chocolates which are sugar-free and come with a host of health benefits.

5. How is the confectionery space transforming nutraceutical delivery systems?

Taste, efficacy, targeted supplementation, convenience and high bio-availability are all the USPs of the Nutritional Confectionery space. Consumers will always be looking for effective, convenient products that are tasty and appealing to their senses in their supplementation regime. Would you not opt for a chocolate or a gummy any day, over a hard to swallow a pill or an unpalatable powder dispersed in water? The choice is clear and the market demands will drive the transformation into a disruption of the current market Moghuls. Every industry will offer healthier alternatives and options for the more advanced and demanding consumer. This transition has visibly transpired in the snack food segments, cosmetic markets, even regular everyday foods are now being offered in their fortified versions.

I do not doubt in my mind that Candyceuticals will be the way ahead for the nutraceutical market. They are delicious, the delivery method promises increased bioavailability of nutrients, they are fun to eat and finally, Candyceuticals will always be something that each of us as individuals look forward to, rather than going through the unpleasantness of swallowing nasty pills and large tablets.

Additionally, it is not just confectionery as a new delivery system for nutrition, but also the fact that plant-based ingredients are the future of supplementation. They are safer, healthier and most importantly they allow your body and its functions to work the way they were built to work.

6. What are your thoughts on the financial aspect of “Candyceuticals”, is it within the reach of a middle-class family of India? Do you see a balance within the Nutritional Load and Price Considerations of candyceuticals?

The potential buying power of the rising middle-class families in India is grossly underestimated. The middle-class make up the economic backbone of India. They have become more health-conscious and are informed enough to be aware of the importance of preventive care and understand that it is a lot more pleasant and a lot cheaper than eventual medical care and hospitalization which would have stemmed from neglect. India as a nation spends only 3.9% of its GDP on the healthcare of which the government/public sector contributes to only 30% while the rest is private sector contributions. To give you a comparison, countries like the UK spend close to 83% of the public sector spending on their nation's healthcare, with most hospitalizations and good medical care coming under National health and free of cost to its citizens.

More than 80% of Indians have to pay for our health care directly. With the rising costs of medical care, even the wealthy struggle with the hospital bills. Now when the middle-class Indian is left to fend for his health, the importance of preventive healthcare will not be ruled out. This is more so since there has been a rise in the number of deaths due to cancer, stroke and cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases and more so now with Covid and its aftermath.

When it comes to preventive health that has a great taste and satisfies your sweet tooth, makes you healthy while keeping the entire process guilt-free and sugar-free, I think the pricing may not become an issue. While good chocolates are luxury items in their stead, having chocolates with natural, potent plant-based goodness is an added plus. Gummies, hard candies may not necessarily be pocket pinchers, but again, creating an effective Candyceutical product demands functionality, taste and the quality of the nutrients we use. So, to get that right balance without compromising on the taste, texture or stability of the product, Candyceuticals will always be slightly more expensive than its non-nutrient confectionery counterpart but will remain well within reach.

Manufacturers will learn to strive on creating the right balance between the cost of manufacture of confectionery, without compromising on the nutrient load or the taste, mouth-feel and stability of the Candyceutical. The answer to the Price vs nutrient load conundrum is simple – as long as the manufacturer can deliver a taste appealing product that is effective and stable, consumers will be willing to spend a little more for the convenience and the comfort. The fallacy of nutrient loads being low in confectionery delivery systems is no longer prevalent as science has progressed to assessing that the body consumes micronutrients like vitamins, minerals in micro quantities. That said, using potent ingredients in the future will lead to progressive efficacy of Candyceuticals where efficacy is determined by the assay levels of the bio-actives, rather than higher quantities of their powders in a given formulation.

7. Where do you see Arelang Naturals in a few years? Kindly throw light on the vision of the brand? What are the forthcoming initiatives in the long run?

Our vision is to revolutionize supplementation. We have in the pipeline over 20 formulations that we promise to bring to our consumers in innovative forms of confectionery within the next 2 years or so, and another 5 formulations are already in the advanced stages of development. Again, as we expand, we will be introducing multiple flavour variants of our formulations and possibly more formulations as we see the need.

Caim by årelang™ is the first brand launched by årelang Naturals® and offers potent plant-based supplementation through confectionery. Hopefully, if things go as planned, you will be seeing several new innovative initiatives from us in the field of wellness in the coming years.

8. What are your Company’s goals? How do you build a successful customer base?

Our immediate goals are to build our brand and spread awareness on the nutrition aspect and hopefully in the process, bust the myths that gloom over the health segment. We want to stress the importance and the benefits of using plant-based natural ingredients that are potent and have high assay bio-actives. Of course, sales are our goal as well, but I honestly feel that it is more important for a company to be trustworthy and transparent. Sales generated as a result of that are far more satisfying.

Building a great customer base is not an easy task, but consistency and efficacy of the product, exhibiting trust and transparency as a company, harnessing relationships and good customer delight, not compromising on the quality of ingredients, taste and palatability are all makings of a good customer base. We are in the business of Candyceuticals and therefore quality, result-oriented products, taste, pleasure and delight will be our key mantras.