OWYN: Only What You Need

by Only What You Need Inc.

Review: OWYN Ready-to-Drink Plant-based Protein Drinks

Posted: Apr 06, 2018 at 8:43 AM (Last Updated: Apr 06, 2018 at 4:24 PM)

Covers Products: Cold Brew Coffee (2017), Dark Chocolate (2017), Smooth Vanilla (2017)

OWYN (short for “only what you need”) is a line of plant-based protein beverages that are offered in both ready to drink and powdered form. The current lineup of ready to drink flavors consists of three SKUs, including Dark Chocolate, Cold Brew Coffee, and Vanilla.

On the nutrition front, this product is formulated with a plant protein blend that includes pea protein, pumpkin powder, and flaxseed oil. Plus, they’ve enhanced the product with their “greens blend,” which includes organic broccoli, organic spinach, and organic kale. Each bottle has 180 calories, 20g of protein, 535 mg of omega 3, 5g of fiber, and only 4g of sugars. There’s sustenance to the product and they’ve done a nice job of staying away from any of the most common allergens.

From a flavor perspective, all of their formulations are quite enjoyable. The product has neither a strong protein flavor (still a common problem for products using plant protein) nor does it have any effects from the use of monk fruit. Furthermore, the body of all of the OWYN flavors is slightly less viscous than a traditional protein drink, which often tend to be gummy and thick.

As for the individual flavors, we found the Dark Chocolate to be the most enjoyable. There’s a touch of decadence to it, but the product is very smooth and finishes clean. After that, it’s a tie between the Cold Brew Coffee and Vanilla. However, what you get from these two varieties is pretty different considering that the Cold Brew variety has 113 mg of caffeine.

On the outside, OWYN definitely looks the part of a protein drink. It comes packaged in a 12 oz. bottle that is fully wrapped and tapered in its shape. The label format is clean and easy to read and follows the category convention of placing the protein content front and center.

However, the look of the product, while polished in its execution, is very similar to other products in the category -- to the point where we wonder if consumers will identify it as something that isn’t just a run of the mill dairy or soy based protein drink. Yes, it says “plant-based drink” on the front of the label, but it is a smaller callout than some of the other benefits of the product. Dialing this up -- perhaps even going so far as to say “20g PLANT PROTEIN” -- might help. Our only other thought is to vertically align the letters in the logo and to move the “O” in OWYN to the same level as the others. This would help readability slightly.

Overall, OWYN is a well-executed plant based protein drink that is definitely amongst the best out there right now.


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