Meet Rahil Virani, co-founder and brand director at MYFITNESS Peanut Butter, a homegrown brand that aims at making people understand the magic of original peanut butter and make it a part of their daily diet. In a detailed conversation with TMM, Rahil talks about the journey of the brand and his future plans.
How and when did the idea of MyFitness Peanut Butter happen to you?
I had just given up on becoming a CA after failing the final exams 4 times, which I undertook just after my 12th. Even then, I took up the job of heading a branch of a CA firm, even though I knew this isn’t what I really want to do. I took up that job for the sake of doing something till I find something that I’d really want to do. In the next 6 months, things weren’t going in the right direction and I decided to quit. During that time, my brother-in-law, Mohammad Patel, who happens to be All India Ranker in CA, also decided to quit his CA practice. This was back in December 2018. He took the initiative to ask my father to start a Peanut Butter brand. My Father is actually a partner at ‘SuperNutri Foods’ a food factory that manufactures 50,000 kgs of peanut butter but all of that gets exported. So why not come up with a brand that would cater to our own country? None of the partners at the food factory were interested in starting their own brand for the Indian market since they didn’t have the time or the vision. That’s when MYFITNESS Peanut Butter happened. Mohammad was very kind to have me on board for this project.
Talk about the USP of the brand.
All the recipes of each variant, each flavor, the composition, the ingredients, the quality of roasting, processing, packaging, and even marketing, are unique. That, at the core, is our USP. Other than that, we have our Natural Peanut Butter (Natural meaning no added sugar, no salt, no preservatives) which other brands tend to separate oil but ours does that 95% less. Another USP of MYFITNESS is the most recent flavour launch named ‘crispy’. Chocolate Peanut Butter infused with rice crisps. That’s the world’s first!
You come from a commerce background and have done CA, how far your professional qualifications, helped in managing the financial side of the business?
Like I mentioned, I am not a CA. I failed my final exams 4 times. However, 3 years of Internship and job experience equipped me enough to have an understanding of the financial aspects of the business. But that was always taken care of by Mohammad. I, on the other hand, always liked and was fascinated by the other side and that is marketing, especially, social media.
Tell us about the range of products, ingredients used, and what makes them healthy?
Peanut Butter, our hero product has 3 variants, and which are Original, Natural, and Chocolate. Each of them again has 2 sub-variants; Smooth & Crunchy. Except Chocolate has a 3rd variant, Crispy. Peanut Butter is high in protein spread, if you switch to that from a sugary spread like jam or nutella, you can significantly change your life in terms of health. It is a good source of healthy fats too. Apple Cider Vinegar, we started in August 2020. Our makers in Italy have been making ACV since the 1880s. It is pure, unpasteurized, and made from 100% organic Italian apples. ACV is known for overall gut health improvement, many also use it as an aid in losing weight.
Later, we launched Oat Bran In December 2020. It has more protein and more fiber than regular oats.
MyFitness is associated with a lot of celebrities. How do you choose them and how do they add value to the brand?
Firstly, we see if they appeal to the masses and whether they are fit. And by fit, I don’t mean they 
have to have 6 pack abs. The supplement brands do that, but we don’t. Secondly, how active they are on social media, what’s their audience like, the engagement etc. It helps the brand in terms of getting that visibility and reach to the right people.
As of now you are selling products online. How is the response rate and are you planning to go offline as well? If yes, what’s the strategy?
Yes, it’s mostly online, but it is also available in about 900 outlets in India right now. The strategy is to enter ‘Modern Trade’ in the next year in stores like Nature’s Basket, D-Mart etc. If your brand has a strong image and popularity, it helps you to negotiate listing fees. Otherwise, they don’t even entertain you.
What are your future plans for the brand?
Honestly, we didn’t know we would come this far. And 
there was never a long-term plan with the brand. But now, I have started to realize that in the last 2 and half years, so many people have come on board, directly or indirectly, our employees, distributors, logistics partners, celebrities, it has become one big family. Sometimes, I’m in awe thinking about the number of people that depend on the brand. We’ve pitched to some Private Equity investors, and if we’re able to get funding, we intend to make this family bigger. Like I mentioned, after penetration in the offline market, we want the brand to be present in the kitchens of homes of each and every Indian family who wants to make their life healthier.
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