Staple
Performance Nutrition.
A two-product launch for the Functional Bodybuilding audience. Built on a single bet: performance starts in the gut.
01 — The opportunity
The fiber gap is the unmet need in performance nutrition.
Functional Bodybuilding athletes count protein to the gram. They optimize creatine timing. They obsess over macros. And almost none of them get enough fiber.
The supplement aisle has trained athletes to think about what goes in. Staple is the brand that gets them to think about what gets absorbed. Fiber feeds the gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids; SCFAs fuel colonocytes; absorptive surface area improves; nutrient uptake improves; recovery improves. That's the science. The marketing is simpler:
Marcus's audience is the perfect wedge for this thesis. They're already buying protein. They already trust Marcus on training and nutrition. They're predisposed to believe a "perform better by fixing your gut" story, because performance is the lens they already use. Staple is the first brand built around the fiber gap for an audience that doesn't know it has one — yet.
02 — The product line
Two products. One thesis.
A protein with fiber baked in. A fiber stick pack that completes the daily quota. Together they cover training, recovery, and everyday digestion — and they lock in subscription LTV from day one.
The hero. 25g protein + 6g prebiotic fiber per scoop.
A whey + milk protein blend with Sunfiber (a prebiotic fiber that dissolves clear and doesn't change shake texture) plus a digestive enzyme complex. Engineered to replace the protein powder your audience already buys — except this one solves a problem they didn't know they had.
Formula
| Whey Protein Isolate | 20–22g |
| Milk Protein Isolate | 3–5g |
| Sunfiber (PHGG) | 6g |
| DigeZyme digestive enzyme blend | 75–100mg |
| Natural flavors · monk fruit · Stevia Reb-M | — |
| Total protein | 25g |
| Total fiber (24% DV · "Excellent Source") | 6g |
Launch SKUs
- Chocolate — lead SKU. Round-two samples arriving from Actis now.
- Vanilla — versatile second SKU. Round-two samples arriving now.
Why it works
- Actis's vertically integrated dairy delivers a ~$5–7 per-unit COGS advantage over a typical contract manufacturer. This is the structural margin story.
- Sunfiber dissolves clear, doesn't change shake texture, and is the only fiber that doesn't cause bloating at performance doses — table stakes for this audience.
- Clean label, no artificial sweeteners, "Excellent Source of Fiber" claim on pack.
10–12g of broad-spectrum fiber, single-serve, anywhere.
A 13–15g stick pack designed for the moment between meals. Mixes into Greek yogurt, oatmeal, water, or a smoothie. Three fibers working together: psyllium husk for the proven cholesterol and regularity benefits, acacia and resistant maltodextrin for prebiotic microbiome support, and apple pectin for satiety and viscosity. The whole point is breadth — not one fiber doing one job, but a matrix doing several at once.
Three candidate formulas being evaluated
Formula A
Moderate psyllium · max mixability
- Psyllium husk 3g
- Acacia (Fibregum) 4g
- Fibersol-2 3g
- Apple pectin 1g
Formula B
Dual cholesterol claim build
- Psyllium husk 5g
- PromOat β-glucan 2.5g
- Acacia 3g
- Fibersol-2 1.5g
Formula C
Max therapeutic · yogurt-only
- Psyllium husk 7g
- Acacia 3g
- Resistant starch 3g
Formula A is the V1 recommendation: it earns "Excellent Source of Fiber" on the label, mixes cleanly into water (the toughest format), and skips FODMAP-risk ingredients. Formula B becomes a "Heart Health" SKU once the brand is established — it earns both psyllium and beta-glucan FDA cholesterol claims. Formula C is for yogurt/oatmeal-only customers and gels too quickly for water use.
Proposed launch SKUs
- Mixed Berry — universal appeal, masks earthy psyllium well
- Citrus — bright, refreshing, premium positioning
- Unflavored — for yogurt and oatmeal stackers
03 — The Stack
Thirty grams of fiber a day, built into your training day.
The two products together — plus the food you're already eating — close the gap that 95% of Americans live with. This is the daily ritual that builds LTV.
Post-workout or breakfast. 25g protein + 6g Sunfiber.
11g of broad-spectrum fiber. The bridge between meals.
Vegetables, fruit, grains, legumes — the foundation.
This is the narrative that closes the loop: the protein is the wedge; the stick pack builds the daily ritual. Once a customer takes Staple twice a day, switching costs go vertical — they're not just buying a product, they're buying a system. The two-product stack also gives Marcus's content engine a second hero: AM shake, midday stick pack, daily total. Two visuals. Two recipe surfaces. One brand.
04 — Where we play
The wedge no one is occupying.
Fiber is a 70-year-old category left to drug-aisle brands and DTC newcomers without an audience. Staple gets both: the science and the distribution.
| Brand | Position | Where Staple Wedges |
|---|---|---|
| Metamucil / Konsyl | Drug-aisle, regularity, 70-year-old positioning | Performance-coded, athlete-first, no Metamucil baggage |
| Bellway | DTC psyllium with fruit powder, ~5g fiber/serving | 2× the fiber, broader spectrum, stacks with a protein |
| ColonBroom | Constipation-driven, ~3g fiber, social-ad heavy | 3× the dose, no "colon cleanse" baggage, real audience |
| AG1 | $99/mo greens powder, ~2g fiber | Fiber-first, transparent dose, 1/3 the price |
| Seed DS-01 | Premium probiotic capsule, ~$50/mo | Adjacent — fiber feeds the bugs Seed delivers |
| Staple | Performance digestion. Protein + fiber stack. | The only one with all three: science, audience, supply chain. |
None of these brands has what Staple has: a built-in audience that already trusts the founder, an integrated whey supply chain, and a two-product stack that earns subscription retention from the first month.
05 — The economics
Margins that work. Priced for the audience.
Actis's structural cost advantage on whey, a sane stick pack co-pack, and a subscription bundle. That's the math.
The bundle is the strategy: $85–95 a month for two products vs. ~$50 for a protein alone. With Marcus's audience providing low-CAC top-of-funnel, the LTV math is exceptional — and the second product adds roughly 80% of revenue per customer at the same acquisition cost. Two SKUs from day one is how this brand reaches eight figures.
06 — Where we are
Status & timeline.
The protein is on the runway. The stick pack is in research. There's a clear path from here to a paid launch.
-
DoneProtein formula locked: WPI + MPI + Sunfiber + DigeZyme
Round-one Actis samples evaluated. Pivoted from whey hydrolysate to milk protein isolate for taste and cost.
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In flightProtein V2 samples: Chocolate + Vanilla
Arriving from Actis. Final taste and texture sign-off, then formula lock for first production run.
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NowStick pack formulation strategy
Three candidate formulas defined. FDA claim math verified. Co-packer outreach next.
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Next 30 daysBrand identity, naming, packaging
Lock final brand name. Visual identity system. Packaging concepts for both SKUs.
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60–90 daysStick pack bench samples + pilot run
Select co-packer. Lock Formula A. First bench samples. Pilot run.
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Q3 2026Soft launch — protein only, to FBB audience
Limited launch to validate operations, fulfillment, and audience response. Subscription model from day one.
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Q4 2026Stick pack launch + bundle
Second product hits market. Bundle pricing live. The 30g/day story fully in market.
07 — Where we need you
For Marcus.
Open decisions where your read of the audience matters more than ours. None of these block forward progress — but your answers will sharpen the launch.
01Brand name
"Staple Performance Nutrition" is the working name. It signals durability, athletic identity, and stands on its own from FBB while clearly serving that audience. Does it sit right with you, or should we explore alternatives?
02Launch flavor priority
Chocolate first or vanilla first for protein? Mixed Berry first or Citrus first for the stick pack? You know which way your audience leans on flavor — this drives production sequencing and which flavor gets the launch campaign behind it.
03Your role & voice
Are you the face of Staple, a co-founder, an advisor with equity, or all of the above? And on content: do you want to author the launch story yourself, or do you want Staple to have its own voice with you as the trusted endorser? Both work — they shape brand strategy differently.
04The "Heart Health" play
Formula B (5g psyllium + beta-glucan) earns an FDA cholesterol-lowering claim — a real, regulated benefit. We can lead the stick pack with that claim or save it for a V1.5 SKU and lead V1 with the performance / microbiome story. Your read: would cholesterol-claim language strengthen the brand, or muddy a performance wedge?
05Launch GTM angle
How do you want to introduce Staple to your audience? Options span from a quiet drop with a recipe video to a full multi-week content arc culminating in launch day. Your call.
06Pricing & bundle structure
$45–55 protein, $40–50 stick pack, $85–95 bundle. Does this feel right for your audience? Subscription discount magnitude is open too — 10% vs. 20% off bundle — affects margin and perception.
07Anything we're missing?
What does your audience actually want from a brand like this that we haven't accounted for? Single-serve trial packs? Recipe content? A community / Discord? A stack-with-creatine SKU? You're closer to them than anyone — tell us what we're not seeing.