Mohammad Patel’s MyFitness: India’s Top Peanut Butter Seller

India’s fitness industry has taken an upward turn over the past few years. With major national and international brands clamouring for a slice of the market, startups have it rough, to say the least. My Fitness owned by Tanvi Fitness Private Limited is a diamond in this roughly-defined but burgeoning market. A brainchild of Mohammad Patel and Rahil Virani, the brand is bringing a new nutritional product and self-aware manufacturing for India’s rapidly globalizing tastes and preferences. We look at the brand’s journey so far and its upcoming milestones below.

Peanut Butter with Extra Steps

My Fitness’ primary market product in India is peanut butter. Specifically, it markets a vegan, gluten-free, keto-friendly, and diabetic-friendly peanut butter in an assorted product range. The product further boasts 5% less oil separation as compared to other peanut butter brands. At present, it is one of the few companies dedicatedly serving this niche. Mr Patel says introducing this largely western breakfast spread has been a challenge in India. Not a lot of people have a taste palette for peanut butter that MyFitness offers based on the international breakfast FMCG market.

However, as India has opened up to international cuisines and taste palettes, the product has caught on with niche markets and become a somewhat underground success. Much still lies in the way before the company considers its market standing however. Since most Indians are still more accustomed to jam, peanut butter will need some tie to catch on. Powered by MyFitness’ smart marketing tactics, Mr Patel hopes to see a sizeable chunk of the fitness spreads market captured in the near future.

A Brand Apart from the Start

MyFitness launched in 2018 with Mr Patel’s idea of bringing international flavours for healthy and diet-conscious foods to the Indian market. From that time on, the company has consistently added new products to its peanut butter range and increased its consumer market as well. The choice to lay emphasis on niche spreads domains like vegan, gluten-free, keto-friendly, and diabetic-friendly means they have a small but strong market hold. This allows the company to venture prospectively knowing that its products have loyal support from the market.

Along with building the identity of the brand, Mr Patel has also been a force in driving the fitness revolution in India. She has promoted a hardlined “choose to be healthy” and “just says no” approach. She believes that India still has a long way to go to embrace the fitness revolution completely. She also believes that her products are part of the entire range of FMCG goods that will drive India towards better health and lifestyle.

From Baby Steps to Firm Strides

Fitness as a phenomenon is a relatively new concept in the Indian market. This is particularly true for fitness-based health and diet products which are a very recent induction. The reason why they stand apart is simple – aside from the dedicated pre and post-workout protein market, India did not have a clearly defined healthy diet and general fitness foods market. The rise of dedicated fitness brands has created a new space and demand for such foods and this is where MyFitness has arrived to take a premier spot.

The most surprising part here is the near meteoric rise of MyFitness’ Peanut Butter product in the pan-India market. The company has gone from selling 7 to 8 peanut butter jars per day to over 10k jars per day, thus becoming the highest-selling peanut butter brand in India. This also means it is actively competing with other major peanut butter brands and aggressively expanding into more geographical sectors as well as retail segments. For this, it needs a strong partner network and the brand currently boasts 1,200+ channel partners working with it across India.

Knowing Your Audience

One of the biggest challenges any FMCG brand faces in India outside of the traditional foods market is building an audience. Peanut butter is not a natural on the Indian taste palette. It is an acquired taste from the first world and so, it has taken time for it the grow into the Indian market.

My Fitness’ smart strategies in getting a strong audience to pull hinges on family consumption. Their product is a breakfast/snack spread so marketing it to families for greater consumption is a very smart approach. Plus, professionals, students and young people feature in their market segment but their choices are not as dependable. Although a sizeable chunk of My Fitness’ consumer base is taken up by single individuals, their family consumer base remains their strongest draw.

Mr Patel says that the research he put into developing and promoting their brand has paid off with their loyal and rapidly growing consumer base. This is most easily seen in their marketing campaigns where he promotes their product as an ideal on-the-go snack. Another alternative marketing line explores quick fix recipes while making sure to mention the superb health advantages. Their marketing research into audience preferences and corresponding brand voice is truly a crucial element for this brand and its product’s success.

All That Behind-the-Scenes Work

Mr Patel’s success with their peanut butter product is not just because he has marketed it well. It is also because he adopted an unconventional and radically different approach to their holistic marketing initiatives. Mr Patel places the bulk of their trust in the statistics and numbers. he says bankable campaigns must have a basis in real-time data analysis and conversions into market-centric campaign policies and drives.

At the same time, the brand what’s to remain accessible and fun at a glance for everybody. So, it packs in the “morning jumpstart” vibe with its marketing collaterals and leaves the numbers to the side. This dual-sided approach has contributed immensely to the brand;’s stellar rise just from 2018, particularly considering the pandemic’s impact and overall economic slowdown.

India’s Globalizing Fitness Trends

Mr Patel says India’s fitness market has been bumping up for some time now. The pandemic slowed down the pace of fitness cultures but the foodstuff is selling just as strong. In fact, the unhealthy food consumption habits people have slipped into are spurring them towards adopting better habits now. The brand is acquiring more clients for that reason and as markets open up and people need to move to work in offices again, he expects peanut butter to take a natural place in the market’s breakfast options. More importantly, catering to the niche audience of vegan dieters, gluten avoiders and others means the company stands to get a lot more from the market after the pandemic concludes.

Part of the company’s process for promoting its product ties in with Mr Patel’s own entrepreneurial approach. He says failure is better than regret and lifelong imprisonment in stereotypes. She believes that breaking from the mold is a natural part of growing and that is what fitness represents above all else. So, she tries to reflect the same in the product as well as in her own entrepreneurial efforts to promote and market the same in India. Not surprisingly, MyFitness’ Peanut Butter has acquired a hefty following of media personalities and influencers. Currently, it can boast of backing from Hardik Pandya, Samantha Akkineni, Kriti Sanon, Sahil Khan, Dulquer Salmaan and 500 other influencers.

Keeping Up with the Competition

When it comes to competition, Mr Patel says he has a very direct and deliberate approach to keeping their brand at the apex spot. Their approach is to use competition for their benefit by converting marketing drives into competitively leveraged brand promotion efforts. In simpler words, awareness of the brand’s market leveraging in comparison and competition with its rivals helps them formulate better strategies for success. The primary concept is stability but at the same time, feeling the market’s ebb and flow and the nuanced sense of ‘discomfort’ is important too. Mr Patel says this keeps their brand’s marketing showrunners on their toes and ready to maximize any opportunity that comes up.

With that said, Mr Patel’s approach is not unmindful of risk at a broader PR level either. He says that as an entrepreneur, he is constantly looking into other entrepreneurs and how he are challenging social norms. This falls directly in line with their brand’s primary sales pitch of surpassing obstacles with vigour and enthusiasm. Their approach is sensitive to both numbers and creatives and endorses a risk-sensitive drive that can cover gaps with intuition refined by habit and practice.

A Few Words for India’s Budding Entrepreneurs

Mr Patel’s approach to building MyFitness into a premier brand is the same as building itself into an entrepreneurial masthead in India’s business scene. He says he prefers to work the day-to-day once he has set out a long term goal. Their usual goal-defining process foresees between 2 to 5 years in the future. This gives them control over the company’s short term processes as well as immediate ongoings. When asked about advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, he recommends the same research-based, dedication-driven and market-sensitive approach.

At the same time, he is also well aware of the work-life balance and put exercise at a high spot. he says that clarity along with vigour to funnel into business tasks helps bring the best out of every business undertaking. Further, Mr Patel is also keen on travelling. Thanks to technology, he says, travelling and working can go together swimmingly and he believes this is crucial for staying open to new ideas and opportunities. Escaping the mundanity of daily life including work can help de-stress and re-energize the mind and body. Mr Patel says this is key to maintaining a healthy approach to working as a whole particularly when one is promoting a fitness brand and product!

India’s Future Fit Forays Are Here

When asked about the future of MyFitness and what it plans to do, Mr Patel had many plans to throw up. Above all else, he says, will be the process of further inducting peanut butter as a regular part of India’s daily breakfast and snacks option. He wants to make the product an everyday essential for persons of all ages. Of course, the diet centric approach will play a big role in that and he will continue to look Westward to bring new innovations in this field to the Indian market.

Aside from their top-seller, MyFitness also plans on launching SuprFit Effervescent Tablets which will help in body detoxification and immune system strengthening. He also plans on introducing a coffee brand called KICK Coffee to go with their other breakfast-line products. Needless to say, Mr Patel has many plans buzzing under their top hat and he plans to execute them to gain a better foothold in the market while keeping the Indian family at the centre of their brand identity and product range.