Take a walk down the snack aisle of any supermarket, and you’ll find the shelves overflowing with protein bars and grand promises.
The space has become a battleground of bold claims and grandiose aspirations, with each brand pledging to be “the next big thing.”
But let me ask you this: Isn’t anyone a bit bored?
Since when did protein bars become the be-all and end-all of healthy snacking? I mean, people, can we please have at least a shred of imagination and endeavour?
Thankfully, my sentiments were shared by Mario Niszler, who co-founded Nutry Nuts with his brother and business partner, Tamas.
The pair were frustrated in their search for peanut butter cups that were both high in protein and low in sugar.
I mean, who can blame them? Nothing says indulgence like a symphony of rich, velvety nut butter, harmonizing with the sweet embrace of smooth, decadent chocolate.
So, they did what any keen entrepreneurs would do if they saw a gap in the market: create their own.
Five years down the line with more than 1,500,000 units sold, I think it’s safe to say the UK’s first protein-packed peanut butter cup brand has been a success.
As part of our founders series, we sat down with Mario to discuss the ins and outs of launching a small business, life-changing transformations and industry pet peeves.
The Birth Of Nutry Nuts
The more we delve into the health and nutrition market the more we realise the very best brands and products aren’t just created by profit-hungry moguls; they’re passion projects.
To truly understand what it is your target market wants, you have to have walked a mile in their shoes. It’s safe to say Mario has done just that.
In fact, he wouldn’t be the man he is today without discovering his love for fitness through freakish circumstances, as he explains.
“I had a serious surgery on both of my legs when I was 15, and I was a lying patient for six months. The full recovery took over two years.
“I picked up a lot of weight, and that caused a huge depression. This is when I met with health and fitness, which changed my life!
“Within two years, I had lost over 80 lbs, and I felt amazing. I received compliments, and my depression disappeared. I truly believe in fitness; it’s literally the best mental therapist, and I’ve learned a lot from it: skills like patience, working hard, and discipline.
“All these skillsets were extremely useful when we launched Nutry Nuts.”
Speaking of Nutry Nuts, many of you will have picked up on the brand’s distinctive name – especially if you’re a fan of alliteration.
Coming up with a tagline for their brainchild was the brothers’ first course of action when they decided to go public with their idea,
After toying with titles such as ‘Healfy Snacks’ and ‘Three Nuts’, they eventually found a winner.
“Back in 2018 when we opened the business Instagram was the main social media platform,” Mario explained.
“So, we wanted something catchy, something that tells people what we are doing, that’s easy to remember and has a clear Instagram handle without ‘shop’, ‘official’ or ‘eat’ in it.
“Nutry = Nutritious and Nuts, so it just made sense. Plus, the Instagram handle was free too so we trademarked it right away!”
From there it wasn’t plain sailing, however. Mario and co had formulated the recipe for Nutry Nuts in their home kitchen, but they needed a manufacturer if they were going to take it to the next level.
At this point they almost found themselves stumped by their own ingenuity.
“Since nobody was making peanut butter cups back then, we had an extremely hard time finding a co-manufacturer,” Mario added.
“Honestly, it felt like mission impossible, but we eventually managed to find one and we’ve been working together ever since!”
If you’re wondering whether Nutry Nuts is ever compared to a certain famous American candy, it is.
But Mario is very clear on the difference between the two treats: “PROTEIN and SUGAR.”
From a health perspective, it really is night and day. Each pack of Nutry Nuts contains between 10 and 12g of protein and less than 8g of sugar.
In terms of flavours, the protein butter cups are currently available in five different varieties: White Choc Pistachio, Double Choc Hazelnut, Milk Choc Peanut, White Choc Peanut and Dark Choc Peanut.
However, Mario revealed the roster is set to grow in the New Year.
He teased: “A huge flavour is launching in January which I believe will take the spot of the best-selling Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup. I wish I could share more…”
Financing Nutry Nuts
In its infancy, Nutry Nuts received backing from the Merseyside Special Investment Fund, a Liverpool-based venture capital firm that invests in small to medium-sized businesses.
Since then it has been successfully propping itself up with impressive sales figures, with the brand consistently selling through its inventory.
Eyeing up further expansion, Mario said he and his brother are considering an investment round in the next 14-16 months, but nothing is yet set in stone.
Added capital might be necessary if they are to achieve their goal of becoming the biggest protein nut butter cup brand across the globe.
For now, though, Mario is focusing on getting Nutry Nuts onto the shelves of UK stores.
“We are in talks with Holland & Barretts but it’s early days,” he added. “Although, we are working extremely hard to launch in major retail stores in the near future!”
Now we’ve set the scene, I think it’s time you heard more from the man with big plans.
Questions With Mario Niszler
Describe the first moment you had the thought of creating a protein peanut buttercup.
We were frustrated that we couldn’t find protein peanut butter cups on the market, so we rolled up our sleeves and created the very first good-tasting protein milk chocolate peanut butter cups in our home kitchen.
What was your first move when beginning this business?
We opened our Instagram @nutrynuts and started posting photos of our protein peanut butter cups.
What are the key differences between Nutry Nuts and Reese’s Butter Cups?
PROTEIN and SUGAR.
Describe your perfect customer in 5 words.
Active, health-conscious individuals between 18-40.
Where can our readers currently buy Nutry Nuts?
Either our website or Muscle Food are great places to pick up Nutry Nuts.
What about the health industry really annoys you?
Fads.
If you could own any other health business in the world which would it be and why?
Very good question! I’m a big energy drink drinker, although, at this point, they don’t give me energy but I still drink them as I like the feeling of opening a cold can.
If I had the time, I would open a Protein Fizzy Drink brand with some great branding. I’d go after the people who love energy drinks but don’t want to drink any more caffeine, they just want that cold fizzy drink feeling.
I’d probably name it ‘Reckless Driver’ and create a cool theme just as Liquid Death did.
Wave a magic wand… where would you like to see Nutry Nuts in 3 years?
In over 10,000 locations and with our US office opened.
What is the main piece of negative feedback you receive about your brand?
I think this changes with your growth. When we launched Nutry Nuts, they all said, ‘I’d rather have a Reese’s and drink a protein shake.’
Then we grew and people started saying, ‘They are too expensive’, so we grew again and today we rarely receive any negative feedback. Thankfully.
Being a founder we understand you will juggle many tasks and jobs per day. Can you detail what a ‘typical’ day looks like for you managing Nutry Nuts?
Of course, I can! My morning starts with a coffee and anything that makes me feel good and puts me in a good mood!
That can be designing packaging, creating a TikTok video or just catching up with my brother. Once my mood is awesome, I get down to business.
My role is Sales Manager so that involves Zoom/in-person meetings, but mostly Zoom meetings, which I try to schedule for the afternoon. I also take care of all things design, such as packaging or social media posts which I try to do after my sales meetings.
What has been the most helpful advice?
Aim for profitability! Fail quickly, learn and move on.
What has been the worst advice?
Honestly, I didn’t speak to a lot of people to ask for their advice as I had no friends or connections when we started Nutry Nuts, so there wasn’t really any. Maybe there was but I never listened to it.
The floor is yours. Please share anything and everything that you wish for our readers to know.
I learned how to stop time. I’m living in the moment. I stopped watching the time, date or listening to the news. I stopped time by enjoying my work, my friend’s time, my beautiful girlfriend’s time and my family’s time.
There are always stressful times ahead and a very bad phone call is always just around the corner, so I try not to stress about the small things and try to live my life as fulfilled as possible.
I’m extremely motivated by building our brand but I never forget to enjoy the journey. One day, Nutry Nuts will be the biggest protein nut butter cup brand and it will be enjoyed by millions across the globe.
This might take decades, which is totally fine, so I try to enjoy all the obstacles, and the challenges we face while spending quality time with the people who are the most important to me.
