Tsogo: The Future of Food!
DRAPER, UTAH - Dec. 8, 2015 - Will food ever change? Consider the changes in the past 50 years to travel, communication and entertainment. We text, we IM and we video chat more than we make phone calls. In 2015, more than 121 million people shopped online on Cyber Monday in lieu of visiting brick-and-mortar retail stores. Technology and advancing science has made our lives easier, healthier and more convenient in countless ways.
What about food? How has it advanced in the past 50 years? Can it advance further? The people at Tsogo are betting on it, in a big way.
From its headquarters in Draper, Utah, Tsogo™ launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign earlier this week and is set to launch its ecommerce site in January 2016.
Tsogo (pronounced so-go) is “100 percent food replacement” as its tagline states. In an interview with Tsogo co-founder, Paul Fulton, we learned what that means.
“Tsogo is much more than just a protein shake, a weight-loss program and a single meal replacement," Fulton said. “It can be all of those things, but so much more.” A Tsogo smoothie is designed to give you 100 percent of your daily nutritional needs in a just-add-water form. In other words, forget eating regular food ever again. Tsogo replaces all of that.
The idea of Tsogo is simple. When you break food down to the micro-level, it’s made up of basic components. Look at the FDA-regulated nutrition facts on any food product at the supermarket. You will see broad categories including calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fibers, sugars, proteins, etc. At its core, all food fits within those categories. So, when you eat a steak, you get large amounts of protein. When you eat bread, you get carbs. The problem is that a good steak might have too much fat or sodium. Bread can be high in sugar. Trying to accurately count calories and nutrients is complex. Tsogo simplifies that. With each scoop of Tsogo, you know exactly what you are consuming and it’s complete, total nutrition.
Fulton explained that he lived on nearly 100 percent Tsogo for a full 30 days.
“It was tough at first, because I’m a meat-and-potatoes guy and really missed chewing food. Then I settled in to a new norm after a week or so and I felt great." He still has one or two Tsogo smoothies every day to keep him from eating donuts, fast food and unhealthy snacks while at work. This has been his regimen since August 1, 2015. “When I get home from work each day, I know exactly how many calories and nutrients I've consumed.”
Americans like to eat and we love variety. Tsogo’s three base flavors (natural, vanilla and chocolate) have a good taste on their own, but there’s more. The Tsogo founders have released a full line of freeze-dried fruits and veggies for taste customization. The idea is to begin with the smoothie and then blend in the fruits or veggies to create thousands of flavors that you like. You can also add Tsogo Boosts like caffeine or additional protein. Fulton commented, “that given its complete nutritional content, Tsogo smoothie powder is also a perfect emergency food supply.”
Is Tsogo the future of food? In a recent study by Goldman Sachs1, the rising generation of millennials are said to be seeking more time for experiences, more time to be with friends, more time to play and more time to be active. Perhaps the appeal of no-prep, complete food that is healthy and on-the-go will resonate. At just $2 a meal, Tsogo certainly has a millennial price tag. As Fulton stated, “Everything has changed in the past 50 years to make life better. Why not also change the way we eat by using nutritional science that is available to everyone?”
[1] 2014. Goldman Sachs. "Millennials: Coming of Age" Available online at: www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinking/pages/millennials/
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