"Dieting Deliciously"... Protein That Eliminates the 'Pain of Diet Plans' Captivates Women

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"Dieting and meal management have always been realms of endurance. Enduring tasteless shakes and chewing protein bars with dull designs as if it were an obligation. However, a startup has emerged that directly challenges this long-standing formula: Your Unicorn, which launched the protein shake 'CRONTIN.'

Crontin claimed the number one spot in the protein shake category at Olive Young within just over a year of its launch and recently rose to the top of the overall rankings. The fact that a protein shake topped the list at Olive Young, where cosmetics and beauty products dominate, has drawn attention to Crontin's product capabilities.

Kim Yong-woo, co-founder of Your Unicorn, began his career in direct marketing at P&G and later supported global advertisers' marketing at Google. Co-founder Oh Ji-young gained experience in the startup field by leading new brand planning and marketing at Wizely.

The two launched their joint venture based on their experience working together as a team at a brand aggregator company, where they rapidly grew their assigned brands. As individuals deeply committed to fitness and wellness, they focused on the fact that the existing protein market was overly fixated on the 'numbers' of high protein and low calories.

Kim Yong-u (CEO) stated, "The existing protein shake market was mired in a competition of numbers," adding, "Yet consumers were actually complaining about hunger. Koreans, in particular, place great importance on the sense of fullness derived from the chewing experience."

Based on this insight, they developed Crontin, which contains 25% crunchy balls that are crispy like cereal inside the shake. They designed it to maintain sugar content at 0g while providing a satisfaction level worthy of being recognized as a full meal.

Beyond simply offering a good texture, they created differentiated competitiveness by applying various manufacturing processes. To solve the problem of crunchy balls becoming mushy when dissolved in water, they applied a separate coating technology to maintain crispiness and also developed proprietary ingredients.

Kim (CEO) emphasized, "There is also a difference from existing products in terms of design." He added, "We introduced sensory colors and packaging that women in their 20s and 30s would want to carry in their bags and display on kitchen shelves. We interpreted protein products not as food but as an extension of beauty and lifestyle."

When Crontin launched on the crowdfunding platform Wadiz, it debuted as the number one protein shake in terms of all-time sales. It has since consistently maintained the top spot in the protein shake category at Olive Young and recently reached number one in the overall Olive Young rankings.

Subsequent products such as protein bars and whole potato chips also claimed the number one spot in their respective categories immediately upon launch. Kim (CEO) stated, "If a product is not worthy of being number one, we do not launch it at all but start over from scratch," adding, "We possess a kind of artisan spirit."

He remarked, "The food industry is too honest. If it tastes bad, people will never buy it again." He further added, "Maintaining the number one spot in protein shakes for nearly a year itself is evidence of high repurchase rates, which proves this is the power of the product, not marketing."

Your Unicorn's products have also been listed in premium offline channels such as 'TWELVE,' a premium food hall operated by Shinsegae Department Store in Cheongdam.

Last year's sales were 6.5 billion won, with this year's target set at 30 billion won. Kim (CEO) expressed confidence, stating, "The target for last year in the business plan was 2 to 3 billion won. Performance has consistently exceeded plans."

Your Unicorn has created this growth trajectory through its own revenue without external investment. Kim (CEO) said, "For the time being, we will focus on growing while maintaining independent decision-making."

The goal is to draw a steeper growth curve through massive additional hiring. He stated, "We are putting significant effort into recruitment interviews to build a dense organization like a sports team," and added, "As we expand our organization, we will also accelerate our global expansion."

First, they are targeting the U.S. and Japanese markets. Recently, they hired a Japanese manager from Amazon and recruited an expert to handle the U.S. market. Kim (CEO) predicted, "Pouch-type protein shakes do not exist overseas. Since this is a category created in Korea, there is great room for us to pioneer."

In addition, they are expanding their product lineup centered on the keyword 'crunch,' including panko-chocolate-style protein bars and 5mm-thick whole potato chips. Internally, they are actively utilizing AI to improve operational efficiency, from creating design visual assets to checking product information and analyzing logistics data.

Kim (CEO) emphasized, "Our goal is to change the meal management culture itself so that dieting becomes a reward and joy for oneself rather than a difficult process," adding, "We will continue to create products that become the driving force of daily life, enabling people to sustain their daily meals."

[MoneyToday startup media platform 'Unicorn Factory']