{"id":13836,"date":"2025-08-27T16:42:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T08:42:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/?p=13836"},"modified":"2025-08-27T16:42:31","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T08:42:31","slug":"two-lawyers-malaysians-tastebudds-meal-replacements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/two-lawyers-malaysians-tastebudds-meal-replacements\/","title":{"rendered":"How Two Lawyers Stirred Up Malaysian\u2019s \u201cTasteBudds\u201d Through Meal Replacements"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t unique. Professionals across industries were struggling to find quick meals that weren\u2019t junk food or ultra-low-calorie products meant solely for weight loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>, which serves convenient and delicious meal replacement shakes, as well as healthy and natural foods like honey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meals That\u2019s Made For Your Tastebuds<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

True to their Malaysian roots, Collin and Joslyn believe food should taste good, even if it\u2019s meant to be a healthy option. That philosophy inspired the brand\u2019s playful name, \u201cTasteBudds\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a nod to our Malaysian love for delicious food,\u201d they explain. \u201cBut it\u2019s 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\u2019re vegan, vegetarian, or have dietary restrictions, we want you to feel like our buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning An Idea Into A Business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFinding suppliers was our biggest challenge,\u201d they admit. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t even visit factories because of travel restrictions. We had to rely on Zoom calls and endless samples shipped back and forth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As restrictions lifted, they started participating in small-scale pop-up events. Those in-person interactions, they say, were invaluable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe finally got real-time feedback from real customers. People told us what they liked, what they didn\u2019t, and even suggested new flavours. It made all the late nights worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Learning From Each Setback<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of our early major setbacks was losing a big supplier for a product we wanted to launch,\u201d they shared. \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was a long and tedious journey,\u201d they say. \u201cBut it shaped TasteBudds into what it is today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reinventing Meal Replacements<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

TasteBudds\u2019 core product, Liquid Meals, isn\u2019t the typical meal replacement. While many competitors focus on low-calorie products aimed primarily at weight loss, Collin and Joslyn took a different route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost meal replacements are extremely low in calories, carbs, and protein,\u201d they explain. \u201cThey\u2019re designed to help you lose weight fast, but that\u2019s not healthy or sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
TasteBudds 12 flavours include: Honey Oat, Black Sesame, Chocolate Sea Salt, Matcha, Mango Coconut, Taro, Dark Chocolate, Mushroom Soup, Tomato Soup, Peanut Butter, Hojicha, and Strawberry.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t believe starving yourself is a sustainable or healthy way to lose weight,\u201d they say. TasteBudds deliver \u201cproper nutrition, convenience, and great taste\u201d as a more sustainable way to eat right over the long-run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evolving The Business Model<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Initially launched as a purely online brand during the pandemic, TasteBudds has gradually adopted physical retail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cE-commerce was the only option when we started, but we\u2019re seeing a lot of demand for offline availability,\u201d they explain. \u201cPeople want to see, touch, and taste before they buy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, TasteBudds\u2019 products are stocked in Health Lane pharmacies across Malaysia, and the founders are eyeing partnerships with major retailers. Meanwhile, they\u2019re exploring regional expansion into other Southeast Asian markets, including Singapore, where differences in consumer behaviour demand tailored strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Singaporean market has fewer customers but higher average order values,\u201d they note. \u201cWhereas in Malaysia, we have higher volumes at lower ticket sizes. It\u2019s fascinating how differently the markets respond, even though we\u2019re geographically close.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marketing With A Purpose<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Navigating marketing was another steep learning curve for the lawyer-turned-entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cComing from law, marketing was completely foreign to us,\u201d they admit. \u201cWe had to learn everything from scratch, and made plenty of mistakes along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019d never have accessed through traditional retail alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to us that people feel heard,\u201d they say. \u201cThat\u2019s how you build loyalty and trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Next Course For TasteBudds<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead, Collin and Joslyn have ambitious plans. They\u2019re working to launch new products monthly, a challenging pace, given the R&D and regulatory hurdles in the food industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re also pursuing deeper retail distribution and refining strategies for regional expansion. But at the core, their mission hasn\u2019t changed: to help busy people eat well without sacrificing taste or nutrition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From solving their own hectic lifestyle challenges to building a brand that\u2019s redefining quick nutrition, they\u2019re proving that great ideas and great meals, often start with a simple craving for something better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"They found themselves skipping meals and turning to unhealthier quick options.\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13839,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[94],"tags":[2369,107,245,2370,362,2342,2368,2367],"yoast_head":"\nHow Two Lawyers Stirred Up Malaysian\u2019s \u201cTasteBudds\u201d Through Meal Replacements | DollarsAndSense Business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"TasteBudds Founders, Collin Chang and Joslyn Yip found themselves skipping meals or grabbing quick, unhealthy ones to meet work deadlines.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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