Every ingredient in our shakes is there for a reason. Not because it was cheap, not because it was easy to source, and definitely not because a flavor lab engineered it to trick your taste buds. We picked each one because the science backed it up and because it aligned with how we think about food.
Here’s what we believe — and why.
Two Fibers Are Better Than One
Most protein shakes treat fiber as an afterthought — a token 2 or 3 grams so they can mention it on the label. We built ours around a dual-fiber system: chicory root inulin and organic acacia fiber. Together, they deliver 13–15 grams per serving. That’s more than half your daily recommended intake in a single shake.
Why two? Because they work differently in your gut, and that difference matters.
Chicory root inulin is a well-studied prebiotic. A meta-analysis of 50 randomized controlled trials — covering nearly 2,500 participants — confirmed that chicory-derived inulin promotes the growth of beneficial Bifidobacteria within as little as seven days (Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2022). It ferments relatively quickly in the upper part of the colon.
Acacia fiber does something different. It ferments slowly, reaching the lower portions of the colon that chicory inulin doesn’t. A study using the SHIME intestinal model showed that when acacia gum was combined with inulin, fermentation was distributed across the entire length of the colon instead of concentrating in just one section (Journal of Functional Foods, 2015). Practically, this means better gut coverage with fewer side effects — acacia’s slow fermentation produces significantly less gas and bloating than inulin alone.
The combination isn’t just more fiber. It’s a more complete fiber system.
Pea Protein Holds Its Own
There’s a persistent assumption that plant protein can’t compete with whey. The data disagrees.
In a double-blind trial of 161 men during 12 weeks of resistance training, pea protein produced a 20.2% increase in biceps muscle thickness — with no statistically significant difference from the whey group (Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2015). A separate 2022 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition measured the real ileal digestibility of pea protein isolate and returned a DIAAS score of 1.00 — the same benchmark casein hits.
And pea protein comes with a practical advantage whey can’t match: it’s free from every major allergen. No dairy, no soy, no gluten, no eggs. For anyone with sensitivities — or anyone tired of wondering whether their protein shake is the reason their stomach feels off — that matters.
Real Matcha, Not “Matcha Flavor”
Check the label of most matcha-flavored products. You’ll find “natural matcha flavor” or “green tea flavoring” — compounds designed to mimic the taste of matcha without including any actual matcha leaf.
The difference isn’t subtle. Real matcha powder — ground from shade-grown tea leaves — contains L-theanine, an amino acid that promotes calm, focused alertness without the jitters. A 12-month randomized controlled trial found that matcha consumption improved cognitive function and sleep quality in older adults (PLOS One, 2024). Real matcha also delivers EGCG catechins at concentrations around 50–57 mg/g, with documented antioxidant and metabolic benefits.
Matcha flavoring delivers none of this. Zero L-theanine. Zero catechins. Zero chlorophyll. You get the color and the taste, but the function — the reason matcha has been valued for centuries — is missing entirely.
Our Matcha shake contains 17% real matcha powder. Not because it’s easy (matcha oxidizes, it’s expensive, and it demands careful formulation), but because using the real thing is the whole point.
Why We Roast and Grind Whole Soritae
Soritae — 서리태 — are Korean black soybeans harvested after the first frost, when the cold concentrates their nutrients and deepens their flavor. They’re one of Korea’s most treasured traditional foods, eaten in everything from kongguksu noodle soup to roasted bean tea.
What makes them special? The black seed coat. It’s packed with anthocyanins — specifically cyanidin-3-glucoside, a powerful antioxidant that yellow soybeans simply don’t have. Research published in Scientific Reports (2020) confirmed that black soybeans outperform yellow, green, and brown varieties in antioxidant capacity, largely because of these anthocyanin compounds.
But here’s the thing: those anthocyanins live in the hull. If you use a soybean extract or isolate — as many products do — you strip away the seed coat, and the advantage disappears. A study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showed that dehulled black soybeans had similar antioxidant activity to whole yellow soybeans. Remove the coat, and a black soybean is just… a soybean.
That’s why we grind the whole bean.
And we roast it first. Raw soybeans contain trypsin inhibitors — proteins that block your digestive enzymes from doing their job. Controlled roasting reduces trypsin inhibitor activity from about 10% to 1–3%, improving protein digestibility by 7–11%. The roasting also triggers Maillard reactions that create that deep, toasty flavor Korean households have loved for generations.
33% of our Black Bean shake is real roasted soritae. Whole. Not extracted. Not flavored. The actual bean.
The Simplest Ingredient Philosophy
We don’t think healthy eating needs to be complicated. Use real ingredients. Know what each one does. Skip the ones that are there for convenience rather than nutrition.
That’s it. That’s the whole philosophy.
References
- Vandeputte, D. et al. (2022). Inulin-type fructans as prebiotics: systematic review of 50 RCTs. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.
- Calame, W. et al. (2015). Acacia gum and inulin fermentation in the SHIME model. Journal of Functional Foods.
- Babault, N. et al. (2015). Pea protein vs. whey protein in resistance training. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
- Mathai, J. et al. (2022). Real ileal digestibility of pea protein isolate. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
- Baba, Y. et al. (2024). Matcha consumption and cognitive function in older adults. PLOS One.
- Lee, K. et al. (2020). Antioxidant capacity of black vs. other soybean varieties. Scientific Reports.
- Xu, B. & Chang, S. (2008). Anthocyanin content of black soybeans. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.