The Story Behind The Energy Gel

From Our Founder, Markus:

The Story Behind Lecka Nutrition’s Energy Gel

In 2023, we reached a crossroads: should we focus on the healthy snack industry or double down on endurance nutrition? Our first product, the Energy Bar, sat in a unique position—it could be a snack, but it also worked as sports fuel. So, where to go from there?

Expanding our snack line would open a larger market, especially in Southeast Asia. But it would also be more competitive, requiring heavy marketing investment—low margin, high volume.

It didn’t feel right. We felt our place was in the endurance world—trail running, ultra-running, triathlon. The challenge? In Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam’s premium sports market, we had already reached a ceiling with our Energy Bars. Unless we wanted to go mass-market, low-cost, and high-volume, it wasn’t the right path for us.

So, we made two key decisions:

1. Focus on creating more endurance-specific products.
2. Expand into global endurance markets.

I’ll talk more about the global expansion in another post.

For now, let's dive into the product development process—my favorite part of the job. I love working on new products because it connects me with incredible athletes. When we consulted our community of retailers, athletes, and clubs, the feedback was clear: the most commonly used products were energy gels and hydration powders.

"Let’s create an energy gel!" I thought. But there was a catch: the market was already packed, with over 50 major brands. However, as I dug deeper, I realized nearly all of these gels followed the same recipe—a mix of dextrin/glucose, potassium, and (natural or artificial) flavoring. And, despite the crazy margins, many of them cause gastrointestinal (GI) distress (aka the dreaded high vomit rate).

Only a few brands, like Spring Energy and Huma, have tried something different, and I admire them for that.

Soon, we realized we had a major advantage here in Vietnam—an abundance of fresh, local fruits perfect for making energy gels! We could produce the gels right where the ingredients were harvested, cutting the time from farm to factory to less than 18 hours. Imagine: a banana picked on the farm, processed into a gel, and packed within 18 hours. Beat that.

After testing various fruit combinations, the best feedback came from our banana and passion fruit flavors. We added brown rice syrup, basil seeds, and essential electrolytes (sodium, magnesium, potassium), along with citric acid for stability.

To ensure a shelf life of over 12 months, we introduced retort sterilization. It took seven months of testing different packaging materials, fruits, and consistencies. And while the products are still not perfect, we’re excited to bring this version to market and continue improving.

Feedback is the best way to get better. We’re already working on new tropical fruit flavors, so stay tuned!