Practising lawyers, Collin Chang and Joslyn Yip led fast-paced and high-stressed professional lives. Like countless other busy professionals in the corporate world, their once healthy lifestyles slowly, but surely, slipped away.
They would often skip meals or grab quick, unhealthy meals just to keep up with their packed work schedules. Talking to peers in demanding fields revealed the problem wasn’t unique. Professionals across industries were struggling to find quick meals that weren’t junk food or ultra-low-calorie products meant solely for weight loss.
Despite thriving in their legal careers, an increasing disdain for their unhealthy eating habits led them into the world of food innovation. In 2022, they started up TasteBudds, which serves convenient and delicious meal replacement shakes, as well as healthy and natural foods like honey.
Meals That’s Made For Your Tastebuds
True to their Malaysian roots, Collin and Joslyn believe food should taste good, even if it’s meant to be a healthy option. That philosophy inspired the brand’s playful name, “TasteBudds”.
“It’s a nod to our Malaysian love for delicious food,” they explain. “But it’s also about inclusivity. We want our products to be approachable and accessible, not just something for those who are health obsessives or those who work out frequently. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or have dietary restrictions, we want you to feel like our buddy.”
Turning An Idea Into A Business
The journey from their legal briefcases to Liquid Meals began during the height of the pandemic, a time when launching a food startup might have seemed impossible.
“Finding suppliers was our biggest challenge,” they admit. “We couldn’t even visit factories because of travel restrictions. We had to rely on Zoom calls and endless samples shipped back and forth.”
Collin and Joslyn began testing their recipes with close friends and family. By the time they launched their first product, the world was still deep in lockdowns, forcing them to rely entirely on e-commerce.
As restrictions lifted, they started participating in small-scale pop-up events. Those in-person interactions, they say, were invaluable.
“We finally got real-time feedback from real customers. People told us what they liked, what they didn’t, and even suggested new flavours. It made all the late nights worth it.”
Learning From Each Setback
While TasteBudds has achieved impressive growth since Collin and Joslyn first started, they insist some of their most critical lessons came from setbacks, not successes.
“One of our early major setbacks was losing a big supplier for a product we wanted to launch,” they shared. “It was a wake-up call that no matter how well you plan, there are factors outside your control. You have to adapt quickly and find solutions.”
One of their proudest moments, however, was launching their Liquid Meal 2.0. The new version incorporated extensive customer feedback gathered over a year, from taste and texture to packaging improvements.
“It was a long and tedious journey,” they say. “But it shaped TasteBudds into what it is today.”
Reinventing Meal Replacements
TasteBudds’ core product, Liquid Meals, isn’t the typical meal replacement. While many competitors focus on low-calorie products aimed primarily at weight loss, Collin and Joslyn took a different route.
“Most meal replacements are extremely low in calories, carbs, and protein,” they explain. “They’re designed to help you lose weight fast, but that’s not healthy or sustainable.”
Instead, TasteBudds focuses on complete nutrition. Each Liquid Meal packs up to 27.7g of protein, far higher than most competing products, and includes essential vitamins, minerals, prebiotics, probiotics, and fiber.
“We don’t believe starving yourself is a sustainable or healthy way to lose weight,” they say. TasteBudds deliver “proper nutrition, convenience, and great taste” as a more sustainable way to eat right over the long-run.
Evolving The Business Model
Initially launched as a purely online brand during the pandemic, TasteBudds has gradually adopted physical retail.
“E-commerce was the only option when we started, but we’re seeing a lot of demand for offline availability,” they explain. “People want to see, touch, and taste before they buy.”
Today, TasteBudds’ products are stocked in Health Lane pharmacies across Malaysia, and the founders are eyeing partnerships with major retailers. Meanwhile, they’re exploring regional expansion into other Southeast Asian markets, including Singapore, where differences in consumer behaviour demand tailored strategies.
“The Singaporean market has fewer customers but higher average order values,” they note. “Whereas in Malaysia, we have higher volumes at lower ticket sizes. It’s fascinating how differently the markets respond, even though we’re geographically close.”
Marketing With A Purpose
Navigating marketing was another steep learning curve for the lawyer-turned-entrepreneurs.
“Coming from law, marketing was completely foreign to us,” they admit. “We had to learn everything from scratch, and made plenty of mistakes along the way.”
Their first big breakthrough came from figuring out how to run effective social media ads. That success fuelled brand awareness, helping them reach audiences they’d never have accessed through traditional retail alone.
Beyond paid social media campaigns, TasteBudds remains committed to listening to their customers. Some of their newer flavours were born from direct customer suggestions, and even packaging improvements have been driven by user feedback.
“It’s important to us that people feel heard,” they say. “That’s how you build loyalty and trust.”
The Next Course For TasteBudds
Looking ahead, Collin and Joslyn have ambitious plans. They’re working to launch new products monthly, a challenging pace, given the R&D and regulatory hurdles in the food industry.
They’re also pursuing deeper retail distribution and refining strategies for regional expansion. But at the core, their mission hasn’t changed: to help busy people eat well without sacrificing taste or nutrition.
From solving their own hectic lifestyle challenges to building a brand that’s redefining quick nutrition, they’re proving that great ideas and great meals, often start with a simple craving for something better.
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