The DASTO Energy Bar Matcha has won the Best New Halal Food Award in Gulfood Award, Dubai in 2015 and was showcased at the recently concluded MIHAS halal fair in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 35g energy bar is made from matcha green tea powder, dry mango, almond, oat, nipah syrup, peanut butter, salt, canola oil and brown rice. It is high in zinc, calcium, fibre and low in calories and glycemic index. The energy bar helps to reduce calories, increase the energy levels and is useful for weight control. Apart from matcha, there is also a durian energy bar as well as the Crunch and Munch Mind and Muscle Energy Bar produced by the same company Dr Aishah Solution Sdn Bdn (DASTO).

Dr Aishah Tul Radziah Lebai Hussin, commonly known as Dr Aishah, is quite an authority in weight control. She is also the founder of DASTO and runs a clinic with her husband in Sg Petani in the northern state of Kedah. Dr Aishah created a new Fast Amazing Result (FAR) weight management program to help individuals control and reduce their weight. The program was created after she herself experienced a rapid increase in weight to 68kg after suffering from menopause. Using the self-invented FAR method, her weight reduced to a normal level within 5 months.

WHO Noncommunicable diseases country profiles 2011

The alarming obesity and overweight problems has created demand for functional food and dietary supplement. DASTO is one of the companies that have made a name in this area. What is unique about DASTO’s formulation is it uses local ingredients such as dry mango, pumpkin and dry coconut as well as imported ingredients like oat, raisin and almond to make the DASTO Granola. Since the price of these products are higher than normal granola/energy bar, the companies plans to sell them through specialised channels such as pharmacy. At the moment, DASTO is available at AEON Big in Alor Setar and Butterworth, appointed agents and online.

A new factory in Perda Food Park, Butterworth will be completed within one year and this will boost the production capacity.  DASTO will also be launching the probiotic green tea made in collaboration with Institut Penyelidikan dan Kemajuan Pertanian Malaysia (MARDI) and the new protein bar.

Key takeaway:
– The use of local ingredients is the unique selling point of DASTO. Using local ingredients not only save cost but also make them relevant to the dietary needs of local consumers.
– Since the products are formulated by Dr Aishah, her medical background lends credibility to the product functional claims.
– Winning an award at Gulfood 2015 has improved brand visibility, locally and abroad. In fact, the company has signed memorandum of understanding to penetrate the Middle East markets.

Malaysia’s Agro Jerneh Sdn Bhd, the company behind the Moolabar energy bar, has introduced a new, more sophisticated and relevant packaging that appeals to adults. The energy bar now comes with three variants Active (dates almond), Calm (roselle almond) and Power (banana almond) to target different functional usage occasions. The underlying key claims for all these products are:

– No preservatives
– Rich with fibre
– No artificial ingredients
– Low in calorie
– Nutritious & naturally tasty
– No cholesterol
– Natural novel flavour
– Gluten free

The key ingredients of the Calm variant are rolled oats, puffed rice, glucose syrup, roselle paste, almond flakes, honey, roselle candy, concentrated juice, maltodextrin, vegetable fat, skimmed milk powder and emulsifier: soy lechitin. Each bar weighs 22g and each pack contains six bars.

It is prudent for Agro Jerneh to come up with a new packaging for Moola. As you can see, the old packaging, now targeting school kids, has a children-centric design. It does not stand out  in a crowded shelf. The company admitted the product was not doing well in stores and therefore decided to promote the old packaging in schools, while the new version will be sold in mass market retailers. At the time of writing, the new packaging is still not available in the market. The company also exports the energy bar to Oman and is aimed at children.

Agro Jerneh  produces Nutrixprezz energy bar for Felda Wellness Corporation. Nutrixprezz is sold primarily in the convenience store channel in Malaysia. An interesting fact about the name Moolabar. According to the company, they coined the name Moola because they wanted consumers to start or ‘mula‘ in Malay their day with the energy bar. The word ‘mula’ is given a more NZ sounding name ‘Moola’.

For the new packaging to work, marketing has to revolve around Calm, Power and Active. The gym channel is also a suitable place to promote the energy bar.