Continuing this pantry revolution, protein brand MetaLab offers exciting protein products, making them enticing to Gen X and Gen Alpha alike with gourmet flavours and milkshake-like textures. Checkers was among the first retailers to carry the brand, and MetaLab collaborated with Rooibos tea brand Bos on a protein powder, breaking into South Africa’s health and wellness market. MetaLab founder Jake Axelrod paused his pursuit to lead the protein market to talk to about standing out in a crowded field, the rise of clear protein, and attracting Gen Alpha consumers. I think what’s made MetaLab resonate is that we’ve never really seen ourselves as a “supplement brand” in the traditional sense. From day one, the goal was to take protein out of the gym bag and put it into the pantry. Something that feels like a normal part of everyday life, not something reserved for a niche audience. We’ve focused a lot on the customer experience: how the product tastes, how it looks, how it fits into ...