We have a lot of products today that are organic and artificial which we consume regularly for several reasons such as for better skin, better stamina, better hair, etc. We have food supplements to replace the food we used to eat or we don’t eat. These complex products may have complex effects on our body too.
But at the same time, there are some of the products which aren’t complex rather uses the same materials from nature which we don’t eat or don’t want to. Here, I’m intending on seaweeds; nobody eats seaweeds just like that. So instead, we have a lot of products that claim to have seaweeds in them in the form of capsules or roasted snacks with salty flavors coming in packets.
Out of all, a customer-friendly product has come up recently that is cost-efficient and very convenient to consume as they're cookies. They include all the organic ingredients and aren’t complex; the main ingredient being the Spirulina Algae. This cookie is powerful enough to provide you with the essential nutrients required for your body without harming it in the long run.
They’re ‘B-Lite cookies’ manufactured by Zaara Bio-Tech, based in a town from Kerala, India. These cookies being on par with the cookies we have usually such as Oreo, Good-day, Dark Fantasy, are health-friendly instead of harming your health like the latter. To know more about this product and the story behind it, I had an interview with their Founder recently sharing a great conversation about the product and the scenes behind it. I’m sharing our conversation with you, so we all can know more about these eco and health-friendly cookies.
Q: Can you introduce yourself?
A: “Basically I’m a student and I completed my graduation in Bio-Technology and Genetical engineering in 2020 and before campus placement, we launched our Startup called “Zaara BioTech”; designing seaweed and algae based edible products—by transforming them. We are in collaboration with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). We designed various products for institutes in our past and since 2019 we are selling in packets through various distributors including Amazon and other local retailers. In the previous month, we have received an investment of $10 million from UAE, to set up a company in Dubai. So that’s the surface information about Zaara BioTech.
Myself Najeeb—I’m the CEO as well as Founder of the company and I’ve got a team with me for designing and production.”
Q: How many members are in your team?
A: “ We launched our venture during our second year in university and during our time in university, we had a team of 4 members. After our graduation, we couldn’t work effectively as a startup as my other team members joined and started working for other companies for a temporary period as a matter of gaining experience. A few months back, I had an opportunity to represent my company at Gulfood International Exhibition which has held in Dubai World Trade Centre which was also an investing platform. And our team will return in a year once they are experienced and have completed their work which is currently going on.”
Q: Can you tell us more about your product: what exactly is it and how is it made?
A: “Yes, just like I’ve mentioned earlier this is algae and seaweed-based food product and we are designing under ICAR and CIFD which are based in Cochin. So as a matter of fact, this cookie which we have made—two or three of them replaces a meal considering the number of proteins, carbs, vitamins, and other essential nutrients. As we generally know, a cookie contains ingredients such as flour, sugar, and other unhealthy ingredients which we label as ‘Junk Food’. Thus, we have redesigned by avoiding unhealthy ingredients (such as flour, white sugar, etc) rather we include substitutes like Oats, Ragi (Finger Millet), Quinoa, and so on; and for sweeteners, we use Demerara or Ayurvedic ingredients and natural flavoring agents such as vanilla instead of synthetic ones. The main ingredient as we all know is seaweed and algae. Algae is a photosynthetic organism that grows in any river, sea or ocean in a specific environment.”
Q: Which category of people would you recommend your product to?
A: “Due to the versatility of our cookies, our targeted customers are athletes, pre-workout men, pregnant women, elderly people, and even children which aids them in concentration. It has got flexible properties such as to help you in building stamina, can be included in any diet plan, and we don’t give any sort of claims such as Weight-Loss guaranteed and all.
Introducing these cookies (or B-Lite products) to your diet plan also makes it a perfect one without any deficiencies of many nutrients like minerals, iron, or amino acids. As most of us now who are busy with daily routine skip our breakfasts, wherein breakfast is the most important meal of the day that helps you in spending your day productively, these cookies can do the work for you instead of having breakfast because like I said two or three are enough to replace a meal.
Our cookies’ have different positive effects on the different categories of people who consume. For example, for a woman above 30, it acts as a calcium and iron supplement for the ones who suffer from osteoporosis; for men who work out, the protein content (about 60%) aids them in strength because the algae contain the simplest form of proteins in them and thus it is also easy for the digestion.
Therefore, we have made our cookies considering those aspects and we come with different flavors such as masala, nutmeg, chocolate, vanilla, etc. So, we manufacture these cookies under the brand name “B-Lite Cookies”; and now is available for purchase on Amazon, and our e-store blitestore.com.”
Q: What was your goal or mission to bring this unique item into the market?
A: “Our slogan is ‘Feeding the nation forward’. The college from where I graduated is located in Trissur District and about 200 km from our college, there are tribal colonies called ‘Attapadi’. A lot of pregnant women and children there have lost their lives due to weight loss and malnutrition and we have studied how malnutrition has affected the Indian population. As per our studies, we found that malnutrition isn’t always a result of poverty. If we look at the ones who are rich, even they suffer from diseases like Anaemia or any other health issues. We have so many products in the market today which we consume regularly that have negative impacts on our health and the prime factor of that is the material quality. So based on this analysis, we made a unique product that is fast-moving (FMCG) which eradicates the problem of malnutrition.
But as far as our mission is concerned for the eradication of malnutrition, we distribute fruits like apples, oranges, bananas, pomegranates, etc. including our B-Lite Cookies monthly to collected 50 kids in each tribal colony from different areas of Kerala; we are giving as a part of CSIR, to these poverty-hit areas. If we look at office/college canteens and restaurants, they waste a lot of food and at the same time, people on the other end are dying due to malnutrition. Thus, we have come up with these products as a part of our mission.
Academically, I’m a Biotechnology and Genetic Engineer and we study vast organisms including algae and others so we can redesign products and materials for astronauts. So I thought why just astronauts when our people require these products on a daily aspect. In fact, in the market, we have similar supplements in the form of capsules and powders, but as a customer-friendly firm, we bought cookies which is more widely known to the people”.
Q: How many calories does a cookie contain?
A: “Speaking about the calories, per 100 grams it contains 521 grams; similar to the ‘Dark Fantasy’ biscuits which contain trans-fats and hydrogenated vegetable oil that are very harmful to health. But eating two or three B-Lite cookies, can make you full and provide you the energy, stamina, and essential nutrients for your body without harming it, which is our uniqueness. We have made it with such a saturation level that you can’t eat the full packet of cookies at one time whereas you just need to eat a few of them to replace a one-time meal.”
Q: Do these cookies have any sort of side effects?
A: “No. FDA has endorsed this ‘Spirulina Algae’ as safe to consume and it doesn’t have any negative consequences to one’s health. We have taken up to 30 long months to design and make the optimal product and it is in such a way that even children below 10 or a person above 60 can eat too. We have a proportionate pattern for the composition of this product and the results were void of side effects.
Q: Can vegans consume your cookies?
A: “Well, some of our cookies with flavors like Masala, nutmeg, vanilla, etc. indeed can be consumed by people with a vegan diet but in some of our premium cookies, we have used animal fats like butter which may or may not be consumed by vegans.”
Q: What else would you like to tell us?
A: “Almost all the consumable products that we use today ranging from eating to cosmetics items, give a lot of negative consequences because of the poor quality of the chemicals in it that are not familiar to our body’s system. An example I can mention is a company like Garnier that manufactures face wash or any other similar products, has two different ingredient lists although the product is claimed to be the same with the same packing and same barcode. But different ones are sent to two different countries—like the one that is sent to Dubai won’t be the same one that is sent to India. And the quality differs a lot especially the one that goes to underdeveloped countries which are very harmful and cancerous; even in toothpaste and that’s why the diseases are wider in underdeveloped countries as the developed countries have a criterion on what a product should and shouldn’t contain. But some of the underdeveloped countries don’t have that criterion as mentioned. Thus, we have come up with a product that is organic, cost-effective, and even the packaging is handled sustainably for our environment.”
I never knew that innovation could be bought for things we eat. We need to have a look at their nutritional index for a broader understanding of these cookies:
- For every 100 grams:
- 521 calories
- 8.15 grams of Protein
- 26.8 grams of Fat
- 21.8 grams of Saturated Fatty Acid
- 3.70 grams of Monounsaturated Fatty Acid
- 0.11 grams of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid
- 61.9 grams of Carbohydrates
- 5.47 grams of Dietary Fiber
- 95.8 milligrams of Calcium
- 299 milligrams of Sodium
- 6.00 milligrams of Iron
- 8.89 milligrams of Vitamin C
- 0 grams of trans-fats and cholesterol
This is not a paid promotion or an advertisement to promote the product. I voluntarily had a conversation with the Founder to know more about the product and the nutritional index is verified from an approved laboratory.
This product in different flavors is available on the Amazon store and on their website which is mentioned below.
https://www.amazon.in/Blite-Spirulina-Cookies-COMBO-Silver/dp/B07XN7VRDY
If you’re looking for a healthy bite that’s packed with protein, good carbs, and healthy fats, then this post is for you. I hope that you will consider giving one of these superfood biscuits a try. The ingredients are all-natural and there are no preservatives. Since it’s gluten-free, people allergic to gluten can consume too. If you’re interested in learning more about this product, just head over to blitestore.com. This is a product that I’m very enthusiastic about, and I think it’s one that you’re going
