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Quick refresh: our vision from Day 1 wasn't to just create a beverage, it was to solve an acute pain point for our target customer (me, my clients, Sonny's fiance, etc). Specifically, women were looking for a healthy post-workout snack, but it didn't exist. So, we decided to build it ourselves.
To start, we leveraged my education and training in health and nutrition, as well as Sonny and I's backgrounds as former Division I athletes. We then spent 12+ months pouring through published research, conducting surveys and interviews with 100+ women in our target demographic, and tasting hundreds of samples produced in our kitchens, formulation labs, and even a pilot facility all the way out in Texas.
So, how'd we approach this? I am going to simplify this a bit, but in short, every step was informed by our customer and her needs. We first considered the "absolutes" as we call them, the things our product "absolutely-must-be." Then we identified our customers' needs in the post-workout moment, and selected three replenishing functions that we wanted this beverage to serve for her. Finally, we picked the best ingredients to deliver on the absolutes and desired functionality. Fairly straightforward, right?
What's In It For You
Defining our absolutes, or the standards for our ingredients, was the easy part in building Après. My standards were aligned with the overwhelming majority of women we spoke to. It was really clear that what we built had to be plant-based (bonus points for vegan), gluten free, dairy free, soy free and organic wherever possible.
After defining our absolutes, we decided on our blend's functionality. To do this, we spoke to our network of women and found that the three main needs they were hoping to have addressed by a post-workout snack were satiation (to help curb cravings), sustained energy (to keep going), and hydration (to rebalance and quench thirst). The cherries on top were convenience, taste, and ingredients that would promote a toned physique. To deliver on these needs we opted for ingredients with the right amount of proteins, metabolic fats, and electrolytes.
The recommended dietary allowance for protein is .36 grams per pound of body weight (1). At 13g of protein per bottle, equivalent to two hardboiled eggs, Après provides roughly 25% of your daily protein intake, which helps deliver on satiation and tone up muscles (2,3). To that end, our plant-protein is a blend of pea, chia, hemp and cacao, which together, create a complete amino acid profile and deliver a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. This equals satiation plus some major nutritional bonuses.
Unlike the quick jolt you get from a cup of coffee or an energy drink, we built Après to give you sustained energy, which is why we included virgin coconut oil. Research shows that coconut oil is fantastic at supplying your body with energy while also keeping you full (4). Coconut oil is able to do this because of metabolic fats called MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides) which are a special kind of saturated fat that is easily absorbed and digested by the body. Studies show that this allows our body to rapidly access these fats for quick, sustained energy that will carry you throughout the day (5). No caffeine or sugar crash included!
Our muscles are 75% water, so when they aren't properly hydrated, you not only feel more fatigued, but it's difficult for your muscles to recover. Rather than using just water as a form of hydration, we also included coconut water and a blend of electrolytes. Coconut water is rich in electrolytes and trace minerals, which help with full body rehydration (6). Add in our electrolyte blend (which includes potassium, sodium, chloride, and phosphorous) to replenish what you lost during your sweat sesh and you begin to come back into balance.
Of course, designing the beverage on paper was just the start. That’s why it’s taken us over a year to get this formula right. Creating a product that meets our standards across absolutes, nutrition, functionality, flavor, stability, and texture was the true challenge. There was certainly lots of science (thanks Valerie and Jeanene!) as well as art ("does this taste 1% more bitter now?"). We're very thankful for the wonderful people we've had providing their various skills and feedback along the way.
If you're into learning more about some other fantastic ingredients we included in Après, read this!
We founded Après to help you sustain your post workout “glow” and empower you to keep going strong, after anything. We are proud of what we've built, but more importantly, we've designed this with you in mind, and there’s no compromising when it comes to you.