Soylent: An Offbeat Food Idea Investors Are Taking Seriously • Hacker News Board

Re: Soylent: An Offbeat Food Idea Investors Are Taking Seriously

#31

Post by whichdan » Thu, Oct 31, 2013, 2:38 PM UTC

jpau wrote: post #11

confluence wrote: post #3

The key thing that Soylent is going after is Ensure/Fortsip/Sustagen's margins. Full meal replacements are cost competitive with normal food at $5 a day. Medical suppliers currently charge a steep markup of $14 a day for their full meal replacements. At this price it is uneconomical for most people to adopt full meal replacements as a large part of their diets. These margins must be destroyed. Soylent, and its compet…

Speaking as an Australian, I'm surprised that the average American spends as little as $7 per day on food. Do you know who compiled this statistic, and what a 'typical' $7 day's diet might look like?

Cost of living varies greatly around the US. In Boston, $7 for a "good" lunch is pretty average, and can easily reach $10-12 if you aren't careful. If you shop anywhere except Whole Foods and cook everything yourself, $7 a day is a little more reasonable, if not limiting.

Re: Soylent: An Offbeat Food Idea Investors Are Taking Seriously

#32

Post by pa5tabear » Thu, Oct 31, 2013, 2:38 PM UTC

fein wrote: post #29

My greatest concern over the approach Soylent is taking is the "one size fits all" mentality. If the company would put forth an application for biometrics/ some sort of personalized formula calculation, I would feel better about this. People have different biochemistry, allergies, metabolisms, and nutrient deficiencies. Hell, even different climates and geography cause changes in the way the human body works. It just…

It's not going to be one size fits all. Right now it might just be a single product (and they're struggling to even get that together at large volume), but Rob's blog posts talk about customization as a key advantage of Soylent. Customization will surely come if they're able to get the ball rolling.

Re: Soylent: An Offbeat Food Idea Investors Are Taking Seriously

#33

Post by 27182818284 » Thu, Oct 31, 2013, 2:39 PM UTC

Mikeb85 wrote: post #15

This is unfortunate. Food can be a cultural experience, it brings people together, and tasty, well-prepared food is one of life's great pleasures. Reducing food to merely taking care of physical needs (presumably so we can work more hours) is a shame... Edit - missed some parts of the article - seems it's more in the quick meal-replacement shake category, not to outright replace easting. Either way, I'll take real fo…

It isn't unfortunate at all because it is a choice. If you don't want it, don't buy it?

There are some people very un-interested in cooking and would just like to not die. Soylent seems like a solution for those people. A former coworker of mine was ready to immediately throw down his credit card for something like Soylent. Before Soylent, he often lamented that the "Bachelor Chow" from Futurama wasn't real.

Re: Soylent: An Offbeat Food Idea Investors Are Taking Seriously

#34

Post by tinco » Thu, Oct 31, 2013, 2:40 PM UTC

fein wrote: post #29

My greatest concern over the approach Soylent is taking is the "one size fits all" mentality. If the company would put forth an application for biometrics/ some sort of personalized formula calculation, I would feel better about this. People have different biochemistry, allergies, metabolisms, and nutrient deficiencies. Hell, even different climates and geography cause changes in the way the human body works. It just…

"One of the fundamental appeals of Soylent is its potential for individualized nutrition, and from the beginning we have envisioned a future where anyone can order a Soylent blend customized for their specific nutritional needs."

Re: Soylent: An Offbeat Food Idea Investors Are Taking Seriously

#35

Post by 6d0debc071 » Thu, Oct 31, 2013, 2:41 PM UTC

MrDosu wrote: post #22

People that cannot produce a nutritous tasty meal for under 3 dollars within a few minutes need to take a cooking class, not get fed brown powder.

> People that cannot produce a nutritous tasty meal for under 3 dollars within a few minutes

-shrug- Assuming the brown powder thing works out, why would I want to? It's not like I've ever got much pleasure from eating.

Re: Soylent: An Offbeat Food Idea Investors Are Taking Seriously

#36

Post by ekianjo » Thu, Oct 31, 2013, 2:44 PM UTC

netcan wrote: post #9

I'm not sure if there's something I'm missing about soylent, but it seems to me like the most remarkable thing in the soylent story is that the company is a product of the tech startup culture. The product itself fits (in my mind) in the nutritional supplements / meal replacements category and wouldn't have ordinarily gotten the attention of HN and startup investors.* I wonder if this is an anomaly or first blood. Ma…

As a product of the tech startup culture, I prefer talking about ZeroCater. At least, they provide real food.

Re: Soylent: An Offbeat Food Idea Investors Are Taking Seriously

#37

Post by nodata » Thu, Oct 31, 2013, 2:49 PM UTC

6d0debc071 wrote: post #35

MrDosu wrote: post #22

People that cannot produce a nutritous tasty meal for under 3 dollars within a few minutes need to take a cooking class, not get fed brown powder.

> People that cannot produce a nutritous tasty meal for under 3 dollars within a few minutes -shrug- Assuming the brown powder thing works out, why would I want to? It's not like I've ever got much pleasure from eating.

Then you need to eat better food!

Re: Soylent: An Offbeat Food Idea Investors Are Taking Seriously

#38

Post by criley2 » Thu, Oct 31, 2013, 2:50 PM UTC

herge wrote: post #30

I imagine the poor sod who invented the shower just got blank stares for the first 5 years from people who wondered 'why would I ever give up taking baths?'.

That's actually a great analogy. A shower is a bath of convenience, but doesn't replace the bath of luxury.

Soylent is a meal of convenience, but it doesn't replace the meal of luxury...

Re: Soylent: An Offbeat Food Idea Investors Are Taking Seriously

#39

Post by criley2 » Thu, Oct 31, 2013, 2:52 PM UTC

ekianjo wrote: post #36

netcan wrote: post #9

I'm not sure if there's something I'm missing about soylent, but it seems to me like the most remarkable thing in the soylent story is that the company is a product of the tech startup culture. The product itself fits (in my mind) in the nutritional supplements / meal replacements category and wouldn't have ordinarily gotten the attention of HN and startup investors.* I wonder if this is an anomaly or first blood. Ma…

As a product of the tech startup culture, I prefer talking about ZeroCater. At least, they provide real food.

How is a personal convenience meal replacement system comparable to a B2B catering service?

ZeroCater doesn't cater individual meals to individuals with the goal of improving meals of convenience, which we have a habit of relying on processed and fast foods for.

It's a tool for businesses to cater popular food to their employees.

Re: Soylent: An Offbeat Food Idea Investors Are Taking Seriously

#40

Post by wdewind » Thu, Oct 31, 2013, 2:52 PM UTC

herge wrote: post #30

I imagine the poor sod who invented the shower just got blank stares for the first 5 years from people who wondered 'why would I ever give up taking baths?'.

Soylent hasn't really invented anything new. Meal replacement shakes have existed for years. It's unclear how Soylent is different.