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Show HN: Plant-based flavor enhancer – hack your tastebuds to eat healthy

57 points by Dgetman 6y ago

Dgetman 6y ago
Wozi is a plant-based flavor enhancer that not only sweetens foods, but also allows you to satisfy your cravings with healthy foods in just 30 seconds. It doesn't have any bitter/"chemical" aftertaste like other alternative sweeteners and also a single serving will last you 30-60 minutes regardless of how much food you eat with it. Here is a 30 second demo I presented at Pioneer’s demo-day. Check out Avichal Garg’s reaction (investor in Cruise, Boom Supersonic, Optimizley, and many more): https://youtu.be/XC5fSUtbf_0 https://youtu.be/XC5fSUtbf_0 It is made from Synsepalum dulcificum, more commonly known as the miracle berry. This fruit has been used for centuries by tribes in Western Africa to make their food more delicious. The miracle berry contains a protein that safely and temporarily binds to your tastebuds to make sour foods taste sweet as well as remove unpleasant bitter and tart flavors. For instance, bite into a lemon and it will taste like lemonade. It allows you to discover flavors previously masked by those unpleasant tastes. A strawberry tastes even more "strawberry" and a plain greek yogurt now tastes much more creamy like a cheesecake. Wozi is the first miracle berry product that is convenient for daily use. Whereas competing products take 5-10 minutes to dissolve, mine takes 30 seconds to dissolve and contains only NATURAL ingredients. It also has pop rocks to not only make the experience more fun, but also give you a cue for when you’re ready to start eating. I believe miracle fruit has the potential to take willpower out of the equation of a healthy diet by making nutritious foods taste as indulgent as the junk foods that we crave. No one has the patience to wait 5 minutes in the morning while they are rushing to school or work, so I knew this is what needed to be changed in order for miracle berry to go mainstream. Please check out my website for more information and demos. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to ask me anything!
lucasgleba 6y ago
I tried this with lime and lemon a few months ago. It made them taste like fanta/lemonade. Truly impressive but not really something I would do regularly. Greek yogurt, on the other hand, is incredible. I wish I had tried it sooner. Frozen yogurt is the closest thing I can think of, but it's not really the same.
- Dgetman 6y ago
  Man, I can't eat greek yogurt without it. So friggin' good.
  - amelius 6y ago
    Greek yogurt with what, exactly?
    - Dgetman 6y ago
      Just that :D Since Greek yogurt is acidic, the product will transform the tartness to sweetness and amplify the flavor. You can add some raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc for an extra pop of flavor.
rjvir 6y ago
I tried Wozi, I heard about it through Pioneer. I really enjoyed it. Once I applied the powder, everything in my fridge tasted like candy - fruits, yogurt, etc. Now whenever I'm hungry for a snack, I quickly apply some of the powder, and have a delicious, healthy snack.
- Dgetman 6y ago
  Happy to hear that you had a great experience!
- BobJS 6y ago
  Same here, I genuinely want my family members to try it because the experience is so much better than the description can really express.
joelrunyon 6y ago
So is this basically a powdered version of mBerry? That stuff has been around for years and is a fun party hack. Not sure I would make it a regular part of my diet though...
- clcuc 6y ago
  For those interested: [0]: https://mberry.us/ https://mberry.us/
- Dgetman 6y ago
  To put it simply, yes. Their pills take 5-10 minutes to dissolve. That's all good for the party trick they are advertising, but if you're rushing to get to work or get your kids to school you don't have the time nor patience to wait that long. My product takes only 30 seconds - 10x faster than the competition. It is the only convenient miracle berry product. It may not form a habit with everyone, but I do have customers who use it daily for their dieting. It helps them to satisfy their sweet tooth, enjoy foods they otherwise wouldn't, or get a fussy child to eat fruits, veggies, dairy, fish, etc. To say this is a powdered version of mBerry is a bit of a simplification because miracle fruit is highly unstable so it took me about a year to formulate something that would retain its flavor and texture longer than a few days.
humanlion87 6y ago
Just as FYI, one of the testimonials is wrongly formatted. There is no space between "psychologist" and "university of Florida"
- Dgetman 6y ago
  Much appreciated!
mwcvitkovic 6y ago
I tried the beta version recently, and it really does work. Pretty incredible.
- Dgetman 6y ago
  I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed!
Netcob 6y ago
Anecdote about tasting: A few years ago, I went on a diet due to some allergy issues. Since I was going to be pretty miserable anyway, I decided to reduce my sugar and salt intake as well. At the beginning it was pretty bad, eating very bland tasting food every day. But after a while, that normalized. And everything started tasting a lot better, and just a tiny bit of salt would enhance the taste. Of course the downside was that that was like getting off a drug that all of society is addicted to. Anything I didn't cook myself from fresh ingredients tasted extremely salty or extremely sweet. Eating a Snickers bar was like biting into a block of pure sugar and just felt very wrong. Going to a restaurant was tricky because you can't exactly take the salt out of a meal or extract the sugar from a dessert. I think we can adjust to many things... which is why I'd love to try this thing, but I wouldn't want to be in the position where I can't eat certain things without it anymore...
- Dgetman 6y ago
  You bring up a great point. I studied Neuroscience at Duke university. Your cells adapt to their context and so what you are describing is sensitization. The more sugar you eat, the more you need to "feel" it. The problem is 2/3 of Americans are overweight or obese. In order for them to completely drop sugar would be a struggle, but my product can help bridge that gap for them. Now why not just use stevia or aspartame to get the sweetness without the calories? 1) They have an unpleasant afteraste whereas Wozi does not 2) Wozi does more than just sweeten, it enhances flavor. Not everyone likes the taste of Greek yogurt but this makes it more palatable. How many times have you had a strawberry that tasted like nothing? This makes it taste as if it was the perfect strawberry.
  - vosper 6y ago
    > why not just use stevia or aspartame to get the sweetness without the calories? I find the aftertaste of stevia disgusting, and really long-lasting, but when I need to sweeten something I’ve had much better luck with erythritol. It’s cheap, widely available, and seems to be safe. That said, I generally avoid sweet foods anyway, so my use of either sugar or artificial sweeteners is relatively low. But if you’re doing keto and you hate stevia, as I did, try erythritol.
jarym 6y ago
Well it’s worth trying - free delivery to the UK is impressive too
- Dgetman 6y ago
  People ask me why don't I make a yogurt line. This is why :D The product is so small and so light I ship it as a letter with a single stamp. If it is going international, it may take a little longer (especially with COVID). UK is ~5-7 days but Asia can be as much as 2-3 weeks.
BobJS 6y ago
I've put on some weight sitting in a computer chair and not leaving the house during the age of COVID-19 and I've been trying to diet but man, it's hard. I am genuinely shocked by Wozi. It's got this pop-rock consistency that has given me a positive association between a handful of healthy foods and Wozi. I've stopped eating potato chips and ice cream and instead I'm filling up on low-fat Greek Yogurt, pure cranberry juice, lemon/lime water, pineapple, starfruit, and raw cranberries. I've learned to love each last one of those and I now use it every day, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day and it's definately making a difference for me. I see a comment about mBerry and I should at least mention that I ran out of Wozi and grabbed some mBerry on Amazon to get by until my next order... and it is just not the same. Sure, it's the same active ingredient but the experience is completely different. The positive association with the healthy foods, the fast and satisfying ingestion process, and the taste are really not even close. I think mBerry really went in the wrong direction because I 100% see this as a very useful diet tool and instead of trying to replace Wozi with mBerry, I'm just making a point to not run out anymore. For the record, I'm not a friend or shill or anything. I'm just a very satisfied customer and I want to support Wozi because I'm thankful to have found it.
- Dgetman 6y ago
  I am very happy to hear that it has made such a big difference to your diet! That's what we're here for and it great to have our thesis validated because lots of people didn't think it would actually go there. I worked hard on creating a unique and superior product and I'm glad you agree!
- znpy 6y ago
  > BobJS account created 57 minutes ago, commenting on a post created an hour ago. Man, this smells fishy. Where's dang ?
  - Dgetman 6y ago
    He's a customer, but you can verify that all the other comments are organic.
  - inakarmacoma 6y ago
gradys 6y ago
With the party trick version of this (eating lemons or limes straight), I was always concerned about the acidity on my teeth. Is that not a concern here because you just don't use as much acid?
- Dgetman 6y ago
  The issue is with the food itself, not the product. No, I don't recommend eating an entire lemon everyday, but making a lemonade without sugar should be fine. If you're worried, just brush your teeth afterwards. The key is I'm not marketing this as a party trick. You already eat yogurt, coffee, fruit, chocolate without having to worry about the acid so there are no sudden differences here for your teeth. If anything, think about what removing sugar from your diet could do to your dental health.
  - La1n 6y ago
    >If you're worried, just brush your teeth afterwards. This is a bad suggestion, teeth are a lot more vulnerable after acidic products and as far as I know brushing your teeth right after acidic foods is bad for your enamel.
    - Dgetman 6y ago
      Thanks for that feedback! Now I know :D But yes, I don't suggest people to eat lemons, but I think this product can be integrated with whatever you are already eating - Greek yogurt, fruit, coffee, etc.
  - gradys 6y ago
    Sorry, my question wasn't very clear. I guess what I meant to ask is whether this works when eating food that doesn't have as as much acid as a straight lemon. Sounds like the answer is yes. Also, tangential, but I think the advice to brush your teeth right after is not right. Not a dentist, but IIUC, after exposing your teeth to acid, the enamel is in a weakend state and then the abrasion from brushing will do more damage. Rinsing with water would be helpful. Brushing before can also be helpful since the fluoride temporarily protects the enamel.
yeldarb 6y ago
Cool to see this on the front page! @Dgetman sent me some samples over the summer and we tried them as a team-building activity (we tasted a bunch of stuff before and then after to compare). It was absolutely insane how it turned pure lemon juice into the best lemonade I've ever had. Tried it with a sour beer and it still tasted horrible though so there's definitely some trial and error involved.
- Dgetman 6y ago
  Absolutely haha. Don't try it with Gatorade! It enhances the artificial taste XD I think what is interesting with this business is that with enough critical mass, user generated content will reveal some really interesting use cases and food pairings. I could see this going wild with keto.
f6v 6y ago
> Do you find water bland and boring? I get that the sugary drinks consumption in the USA is through the roof. But this kind of hedonism is just on another level.
- monadic3 6y ago
  Do you not like drinking water? It's already a pretty hedonistic activity. In fact, I'd argue it's way less pleasurable to drink things other than water when you wake up parched at 2am. Nothing else in the world tastes that good.
- Dgetman 6y ago
  Could you clarify what you mean?
  - albertgoeswoof 6y ago
    It’s absolutely ludicrous to find water so bland you can’t drink it. Especially if you’re overweight.
    - Dgetman 6y ago
      I understand what you mean. It can't be neglected though that obesity actually changes your brain chemistry (I was a neuroscience major and read a lot about this). It's also important to note that behavior is motivated by reward. Staying hydrated is important and it is so much easier when that beverage is sweetened. While tasteless water may not be a big deal, creating a sugar free lemonade I'm sure would definitely increase how much water you drank each day.
- BenjiWiebe 6y ago
  I find it very difficult to stay hydrated with plain water. Even unsweetened tea is much easier for me to drink, and I can drink lots of it's at least lightly sweetened. And it doesn't help that our rural water has a faint bad taste.
gegtik 6y ago
I understand you are selling convenience and sort of an alluring packaging but $40 for 30 servings ($1.33 ea.) compares to as little as $0.53/serving for plain freeze-dried berries, https://www.amazon.com/Travel-Servings-1-15-20-mins-BERRIES/dp/B078HP3ZLB https://www.amazon.com/Travel-Servings-1-15-20-mins-BERRIES/...
- Dgetman 6y ago
  I've tried the freeze dried berries as well as the fresh berries. Here's why we are better: 1)Inconsistency of the fruit means you don't know what you'll get. Each dose of Wozi is pre-measured for consistent results. 2)It is important to coat your tongue. With the freeze dried berries most of it sticks to your teeth and unless you are consciously swishing it and moving it back and forth left to right, you won't get a great coating - half your tongue will taste sour and half will taste sweet. 3) There is no cue to know when you've gotten the full experience with the berries. You could swallow too soon and not get much of a change or waste minutes chewing it. We use pop rocks so that you know when it stops popping you're ready to eat. 4) The serving size is 1/2 berry. Our dose is the equivelant of approximately 2 berries. Also it may be $0.53 for half a berry, but it also costs $160 to get that pricing which is quite the upfront cost. 5) Not these guys, but other dried fruits still have the pit inside kind of like an olive. It is big and incovenient. You have to chew around it, spit it out, and if you chew it then you get a bitter taste.
ortusdux 6y ago
I've tried the older pill form in the past and the effect is quite interesting. We ended up trying half the things in the pantry. I seem to remember that grapefruit was amazing, and that satsumas were overpowering. For those weary of the effect, keep in mind that the average toothpaste contains sodium laurel sulfate, which removes our ability to taste sweetness, replacing it with bitterness. This is primarily done to keep people from eating sugar when their teeth are most vulnerable. I could see this product selling well alongside cannabis products.
- Dgetman 6y ago
  I've heard interesting things about what it does to cannabis products...no personal experience though.
- WillPostForFood 6y ago
  >This is primarily done to keep people from eating sugar when their teeth are most vulnerable. SLS is primarily added as a foaming agent. >Sodium lauryl sulfate is frequently used as a surfactant, or foaming agent. It may also serve as an emulsifier, helping oil based and water based ingredients to stay mixed. In many of our toothpastes SLS is used as a surfactant and helps to properly disperse the ingredients during brushing, and ensures easy rinsing and removal of debris (i.e. food particles). https://www.tomsofmaine.com/our-promise/ingredients/sodium-lauryl-sulfate https://www.tomsofmaine.com/our-promise/ingredients/sodium-l...
  - ac29 6y ago
    Not only that, but your teeth are at their least vulnerable after brushing. Sugar doesnt cause tooth decay, acidic bacterial metabolites of those sugars do.
kuerbel 6y ago
Shipping to europe is free? Also, just a word of caution here: this product is regulated by the EU Novel Foods directive, and has not had a safety assessment to date. Which basically means selling it in the EU for consumption would be illegal... and the only vendor in Germany says it is intended to be used as incense. OTOH it is only made of corn starch and dried berry, so I guess that's their workaround. lol.
- Dgetman 6y ago
  Yep. It is so small and light I ship it in an envelope with a stamp. It might take a little longer depending on the country, especially eastern Europe. If you want tracking I charge $10 which is still not so bad given the distance. You are totally right about the EU thing, I had thought it was approved but also I am so tiny that it probably doesn't matter. There were a few safety studies done that has proven that it is safe and there hasn't been a single negative reaction to miracle fruit reported in the last several decades. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
  - kuerbel 6y ago
    I believe you and mayyybe I will even order some :) but where do you get the berries from? Do you import them from Africa?
    - Dgetman 6y ago
      Indeed. Surprisingly my competitors don't get their fruit from its native soil like I do. Just like wine or coffee, soil matters a lot to the quality of fruit.
Giorgi 6y ago
Oh wow, so we are spamming with fake comments on the Hacker News now?
- Dgetman 6y ago
  I'm sorry but what makes you think all of these comments are fake?
boboche 6y ago
I stopped reading at “miracle berry”. Everytime you see junk marketing with the miracle buzzword, 99.9% is a scam or overselling, etc. I feel fine missing on the potential 0.1% too ;)
- Dgetman 6y ago
  Yeah I understand. That's actually been a pain point for me because that is literally what the fruit is called. Check it out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synsepalum_dulcificum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synsepalum_dulcificum
davej 6y ago
This is a great alternative way to have a fun evening with housemates during lockdown. Tried this with a cheap whiskey + lemon, it was dangerously tasty. Congrats Daniel!
- Dgetman 6y ago
  Thanks Dave! I hope ToDesktop is going well :)
floatingatoll 6y ago
Folks with sensory processing disorders, be aware that miracle fruit / miraculin can be a very complicated experience if you’re trying it at full strength the first time. Make sure to be prepared for self-care if it triggers a panic attack. I imagine something designed consciously as a food additive is probably a lot less intense, but I’m also in the SPD-taste zone of “I’d rather not have it taste sweet at all, than have it taste cloying/herbaceous from stevia”. YMMV.
- Dgetman 6y ago
  Very interesting. Could you share more about your experience of sensory processing disorders?
  - floatingatoll 6y ago
    The above is all I’ve got for this post, sorry.
saeho85 6y ago
I've tried wozi few weeks ago and what it does to natural food (such as fruits) is so good that you should try it at least once. There are some tricky concerns with the product (many of which already mentioned in the thread) but I'm sure it's something the founder will iterate and find the answer on. I'm excited to see how the product will evolve and get better from here!
omneity 6y ago
My experience with Wozi was interesting. Some drinks like Club-mate (quite popular here in Berlin) become almost syruppy. If you like strong espressos, prepare to experience a different drink altogether. Try not to overdose on coffee, it will be tasty but it still has the same amount of caffeine. Also, I didn't know pickles would be such a delicacy (the taste was completely unexpected and funny as far as a specific taste can make you laugh). It's a great way to get a boost in taste and sweetness in many foods (without the increase in sugar), but you'll have to find out what your new you likes. I very much recommend trying it out at least once.
abrookewood 6y ago
I think you're being a little disingenuous. I've tried magic berries many times over the years and they aren't going to do anything to make you 'eat healthy'. Sure, it's fun to eat lemons (sweet and delicious), but it's not going to make me crave carrots. They're a party trick, nothing else.
aaron695 6y ago
Very cool. We had some freeze dried miracle berry's for xmas and discussed why no one has done exactly what you have done. It looks great. Good luck.
berrynice 6y ago
Instead of 'hacking your taste buds' just learn to be satisfied with the food you have, you don't have to enjoy eating.
Mumps 6y ago
First time hearing of miracle berry, will absolutely give it a shot. Here's some feedback about the idea, hopefully helpful. :) Pricing seems really tough for me. In general my meals are around the £1-3/serving range, when cooking at home. adding 33-100% cost to my meals regularly is a deal breaker. As a curiosity I'll absolutely be interested to try this out - probably as a lockdown tastetest "date night". To me, that is a much more viable niche for this product, and thus I'd be in the £10 range for the product. You stress 30s versus minutes like that is a deal breaker. I'm not confident this as strong of a selling point as you think - at least not for me. Site looks nice, and the free UK shipping is awesome! > NATURAL Please, as a neuroscientist - who therefore also studied biochemistry as part of their degree - don't use this word in this way. All things are natural (what is "unnatural"? Ectoplasm?) and you know that there is nothing inherently wrong or different about synthetic compounds.
- Dgetman 6y ago
  I hear you on the pricing. This is probably something you'll do once or twice a day if you make a routine out of it. I intend to get the prices down at scale, but when you put it against other consumer products (RXbar, starbucks coffee, etc) it turns out to be not so bad. 30s (maximum) vs 5 minutes (minimum) - I think you'd get it after you sat down and tried it. I'm getting feedback that it is a dealbreaker and why my product is superior. In an A/B test, people literally gave up on the pills because they got bored. Imagine what 5 minutes means if you're rushing to get to work. Natural - It's all about marketing. While you are right, that's not what 99% of Americans believe and they all specifically search for natural products. The fact that this odd effect comes from a fruit I think is important because it is perceived safer than if it was a synthetic compound causing these taste changes.

57 points by Dgetman 6y ago

Wozi is a plant-based flavor enhancer that not only sweetens foods, but also allows you to satisfy your cravings with healthy foods in just 30 seconds. It doesn't have any bitter/"chemical" aftertaste like other alternative sweeteners and also a single serving will last you 30-60 minutes regardless of how much food you eat with it. Here is a 30 second demo I presented at Pioneer’s demo-day. Check out Avichal Garg’s reaction (investor in Cruise, Boom Supersonic, Optimizley, and many more): https://youtu.be/XC5fSUtbf_0 https://youtu.be/XC5fSUtbf_0 It is made from Synsepalum dulcificum, more commonly known as the miracle berry. This fruit has been used for centuries by tribes in Western Africa to make their food more delicious. The miracle berry contains a protein that safely and temporarily binds to your tastebuds to make sour foods taste sweet as well as remove unpleasant bitter and tart flavors. For instance, bite into a lemon and it will taste like lemonade. It allows you to discover flavors previously masked by those unpleasant tastes. A strawberry tastes even more "strawberry" and a plain greek yogurt now tastes much more creamy like a cheesecake. Wozi is the first miracle berry product that is convenient for daily use. Whereas competing products take 5-10 minutes to dissolve, mine takes 30 seconds to dissolve and contains only NATURAL ingredients. It also has pop rocks to not only make the experience more fun, but also give you a cue for when you’re ready to start eating. I believe miracle fruit has the potential to take willpower out of the equation of a healthy diet by making nutritious foods taste as indulgent as the junk foods that we crave. No one has the patience to wait 5 minutes in the morning while they are rushing to school or work, so I knew this is what needed to be changed in order for miracle berry to go mainstream. Please check out my website for more information and demos. Your feedback would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to ask me anything!

lucasgleba 6y ago

I tried this with lime and lemon a few months ago. It made them taste like fanta/lemonade. Truly impressive but not really something I would do regularly. Greek yogurt, on the other hand, is incredible. I wish I had tried it sooner. Frozen yogurt is the closest thing I can think of, but it's not really the same.

Dgetman 6y ago
Man, I can't eat greek yogurt without it. So friggin' good.
- amelius 6y ago
  Greek yogurt with what, exactly?
  - Dgetman 6y ago
    Just that :D Since Greek yogurt is acidic, the product will transform the tartness to sweetness and amplify the flavor. You can add some raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc for an extra pop of flavor.

rjvir 6y ago

I tried Wozi, I heard about it through Pioneer. I really enjoyed it. Once I applied the powder, everything in my fridge tasted like candy - fruits, yogurt, etc. Now whenever I'm hungry for a snack, I quickly apply some of the powder, and have a delicious, healthy snack.

Dgetman 6y ago
Happy to hear that you had a great experience!
BobJS 6y ago
Same here, I genuinely want my family members to try it because the experience is so much better than the description can really express.

joelrunyon 6y ago

So is this basically a powdered version of mBerry? That stuff has been around for years and is a fun party hack. Not sure I would make it a regular part of my diet though...

clcuc 6y ago
For those interested: [0]: https://mberry.us/ https://mberry.us/
Dgetman 6y ago
To put it simply, yes. Their pills take 5-10 minutes to dissolve. That's all good for the party trick they are advertising, but if you're rushing to get to work or get your kids to school you don't have the time nor patience to wait that long. My product takes only 30 seconds - 10x faster than the competition. It is the only convenient miracle berry product. It may not form a habit with everyone, but I do have customers who use it daily for their dieting. It helps them to satisfy their sweet tooth, enjoy foods they otherwise wouldn't, or get a fussy child to eat fruits, veggies, dairy, fish, etc. To say this is a powdered version of mBerry is a bit of a simplification because miracle fruit is highly unstable so it took me about a year to formulate something that would retain its flavor and texture longer than a few days.

humanlion87 6y ago

Just as FYI, one of the testimonials is wrongly formatted. There is no space between "psychologist" and "university of Florida"

Dgetman 6y ago
Much appreciated!

mwcvitkovic 6y ago

I tried the beta version recently, and it really does work. Pretty incredible.

Dgetman 6y ago
I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed!

Netcob 6y ago

Anecdote about tasting: A few years ago, I went on a diet due to some allergy issues. Since I was going to be pretty miserable anyway, I decided to reduce my sugar and salt intake as well. At the beginning it was pretty bad, eating very bland tasting food every day. But after a while, that normalized. And everything started tasting a lot better, and just a tiny bit of salt would enhance the taste. Of course the downside was that that was like getting off a drug that all of society is addicted to. Anything I didn't cook myself from fresh ingredients tasted extremely salty or extremely sweet. Eating a Snickers bar was like biting into a block of pure sugar and just felt very wrong. Going to a restaurant was tricky because you can't exactly take the salt out of a meal or extract the sugar from a dessert. I think we can adjust to many things... which is why I'd love to try this thing, but I wouldn't want to be in the position where I can't eat certain things without it anymore...

Dgetman 6y ago
You bring up a great point. I studied Neuroscience at Duke university. Your cells adapt to their context and so what you are describing is sensitization. The more sugar you eat, the more you need to "feel" it. The problem is 2/3 of Americans are overweight or obese. In order for them to completely drop sugar would be a struggle, but my product can help bridge that gap for them. Now why not just use stevia or aspartame to get the sweetness without the calories? 1) They have an unpleasant afteraste whereas Wozi does not 2) Wozi does more than just sweeten, it enhances flavor. Not everyone likes the taste of Greek yogurt but this makes it more palatable. How many times have you had a strawberry that tasted like nothing? This makes it taste as if it was the perfect strawberry.
- vosper 6y ago
  > why not just use stevia or aspartame to get the sweetness without the calories? I find the aftertaste of stevia disgusting, and really long-lasting, but when I need to sweeten something I’ve had much better luck with erythritol. It’s cheap, widely available, and seems to be safe. That said, I generally avoid sweet foods anyway, so my use of either sugar or artificial sweeteners is relatively low. But if you’re doing keto and you hate stevia, as I did, try erythritol.

jarym 6y ago

Well it’s worth trying - free delivery to the UK is impressive too

Dgetman 6y ago
People ask me why don't I make a yogurt line. This is why :D The product is so small and so light I ship it as a letter with a single stamp. If it is going international, it may take a little longer (especially with COVID). UK is ~5-7 days but Asia can be as much as 2-3 weeks.

BobJS 6y ago

I've put on some weight sitting in a computer chair and not leaving the house during the age of COVID-19 and I've been trying to diet but man, it's hard. I am genuinely shocked by Wozi. It's got this pop-rock consistency that has given me a positive association between a handful of healthy foods and Wozi. I've stopped eating potato chips and ice cream and instead I'm filling up on low-fat Greek Yogurt, pure cranberry juice, lemon/lime water, pineapple, starfruit, and raw cranberries. I've learned to love each last one of those and I now use it every day, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day and it's definately making a difference for me. I see a comment about mBerry and I should at least mention that I ran out of Wozi and grabbed some mBerry on Amazon to get by until my next order... and it is just not the same. Sure, it's the same active ingredient but the experience is completely different. The positive association with the healthy foods, the fast and satisfying ingestion process, and the taste are really not even close. I think mBerry really went in the wrong direction because I 100% see this as a very useful diet tool and instead of trying to replace Wozi with mBerry, I'm just making a point to not run out anymore. For the record, I'm not a friend or shill or anything. I'm just a very satisfied customer and I want to support Wozi because I'm thankful to have found it.

Dgetman 6y ago
I am very happy to hear that it has made such a big difference to your diet! That's what we're here for and it great to have our thesis validated because lots of people didn't think it would actually go there. I worked hard on creating a unique and superior product and I'm glad you agree!
znpy 6y ago
> BobJS account created 57 minutes ago, commenting on a post created an hour ago. Man, this smells fishy. Where's dang ?
- Dgetman 6y ago
  He's a customer, but you can verify that all the other comments are organic.
- inakarmacoma 6y ago

gradys 6y ago

With the party trick version of this (eating lemons or limes straight), I was always concerned about the acidity on my teeth. Is that not a concern here because you just don't use as much acid?

Dgetman 6y ago
The issue is with the food itself, not the product. No, I don't recommend eating an entire lemon everyday, but making a lemonade without sugar should be fine. If you're worried, just brush your teeth afterwards. The key is I'm not marketing this as a party trick. You already eat yogurt, coffee, fruit, chocolate without having to worry about the acid so there are no sudden differences here for your teeth. If anything, think about what removing sugar from your diet could do to your dental health.
- La1n 6y ago
  >If you're worried, just brush your teeth afterwards. This is a bad suggestion, teeth are a lot more vulnerable after acidic products and as far as I know brushing your teeth right after acidic foods is bad for your enamel.
  - Dgetman 6y ago
    Thanks for that feedback! Now I know :D But yes, I don't suggest people to eat lemons, but I think this product can be integrated with whatever you are already eating - Greek yogurt, fruit, coffee, etc.
- gradys 6y ago
  Sorry, my question wasn't very clear. I guess what I meant to ask is whether this works when eating food that doesn't have as as much acid as a straight lemon. Sounds like the answer is yes. Also, tangential, but I think the advice to brush your teeth right after is not right. Not a dentist, but IIUC, after exposing your teeth to acid, the enamel is in a weakend state and then the abrasion from brushing will do more damage. Rinsing with water would be helpful. Brushing before can also be helpful since the fluoride temporarily protects the enamel.

yeldarb 6y ago

Cool to see this on the front page! @Dgetman sent me some samples over the summer and we tried them as a team-building activity (we tasted a bunch of stuff before and then after to compare). It was absolutely insane how it turned pure lemon juice into the best lemonade I've ever had. Tried it with a sour beer and it still tasted horrible though so there's definitely some trial and error involved.

Dgetman 6y ago
Absolutely haha. Don't try it with Gatorade! It enhances the artificial taste XD I think what is interesting with this business is that with enough critical mass, user generated content will reveal some really interesting use cases and food pairings. I could see this going wild with keto.

f6v 6y ago

> Do you find water bland and boring? I get that the sugary drinks consumption in the USA is through the roof. But this kind of hedonism is just on another level.

monadic3 6y ago
Do you not like drinking water? It's already a pretty hedonistic activity. In fact, I'd argue it's way less pleasurable to drink things other than water when you wake up parched at 2am. Nothing else in the world tastes that good.
Dgetman 6y ago
Could you clarify what you mean?
- albertgoeswoof 6y ago
  It’s absolutely ludicrous to find water so bland you can’t drink it. Especially if you’re overweight.
  - Dgetman 6y ago
    I understand what you mean. It can't be neglected though that obesity actually changes your brain chemistry (I was a neuroscience major and read a lot about this). It's also important to note that behavior is motivated by reward. Staying hydrated is important and it is so much easier when that beverage is sweetened. While tasteless water may not be a big deal, creating a sugar free lemonade I'm sure would definitely increase how much water you drank each day.
BenjiWiebe 6y ago
I find it very difficult to stay hydrated with plain water. Even unsweetened tea is much easier for me to drink, and I can drink lots of it's at least lightly sweetened. And it doesn't help that our rural water has a faint bad taste.

gegtik 6y ago

I understand you are selling convenience and sort of an alluring packaging but $40 for 30 servings ($1.33 ea.) compares to as little as $0.53/serving for plain freeze-dried berries, https://www.amazon.com/Travel-Servings-1-15-20-mins-BERRIES/dp/B078HP3ZLB https://www.amazon.com/Travel-Servings-1-15-20-mins-BERRIES/...

Dgetman 6y ago
I've tried the freeze dried berries as well as the fresh berries. Here's why we are better: 1)Inconsistency of the fruit means you don't know what you'll get. Each dose of Wozi is pre-measured for consistent results. 2)It is important to coat your tongue. With the freeze dried berries most of it sticks to your teeth and unless you are consciously swishing it and moving it back and forth left to right, you won't get a great coating - half your tongue will taste sour and half will taste sweet. 3) There is no cue to know when you've gotten the full experience with the berries. You could swallow too soon and not get much of a change or waste minutes chewing it. We use pop rocks so that you know when it stops popping you're ready to eat. 4) The serving size is 1/2 berry. Our dose is the equivelant of approximately 2 berries. Also it may be $0.53 for half a berry, but it also costs $160 to get that pricing which is quite the upfront cost. 5) Not these guys, but other dried fruits still have the pit inside kind of like an olive. It is big and incovenient. You have to chew around it, spit it out, and if you chew it then you get a bitter taste.

ortusdux 6y ago

I've tried the older pill form in the past and the effect is quite interesting. We ended up trying half the things in the pantry. I seem to remember that grapefruit was amazing, and that satsumas were overpowering. For those weary of the effect, keep in mind that the average toothpaste contains sodium laurel sulfate, which removes our ability to taste sweetness, replacing it with bitterness. This is primarily done to keep people from eating sugar when their teeth are most vulnerable. I could see this product selling well alongside cannabis products.

Dgetman 6y ago
I've heard interesting things about what it does to cannabis products...no personal experience though.
WillPostForFood 6y ago
>This is primarily done to keep people from eating sugar when their teeth are most vulnerable. SLS is primarily added as a foaming agent. >Sodium lauryl sulfate is frequently used as a surfactant, or foaming agent. It may also serve as an emulsifier, helping oil based and water based ingredients to stay mixed. In many of our toothpastes SLS is used as a surfactant and helps to properly disperse the ingredients during brushing, and ensures easy rinsing and removal of debris (i.e. food particles). https://www.tomsofmaine.com/our-promise/ingredients/sodium-lauryl-sulfate https://www.tomsofmaine.com/our-promise/ingredients/sodium-l...
- ac29 6y ago
  Not only that, but your teeth are at their least vulnerable after brushing. Sugar doesnt cause tooth decay, acidic bacterial metabolites of those sugars do.

kuerbel 6y ago

Shipping to europe is free? Also, just a word of caution here: this product is regulated by the EU Novel Foods directive, and has not had a safety assessment to date. Which basically means selling it in the EU for consumption would be illegal... and the only vendor in Germany says it is intended to be used as incense. OTOH it is only made of corn starch and dried berry, so I guess that's their workaround. lol.

Dgetman 6y ago
Yep. It is so small and light I ship it in an envelope with a stamp. It might take a little longer depending on the country, especially eastern Europe. If you want tracking I charge $10 which is still not so bad given the distance. You are totally right about the EU thing, I had thought it was approved but also I am so tiny that it probably doesn't matter. There were a few safety studies done that has proven that it is safe and there hasn't been a single negative reaction to miracle fruit reported in the last several decades. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
- kuerbel 6y ago
  I believe you and mayyybe I will even order some :) but where do you get the berries from? Do you import them from Africa?
  - Dgetman 6y ago
    Indeed. Surprisingly my competitors don't get their fruit from its native soil like I do. Just like wine or coffee, soil matters a lot to the quality of fruit.

Giorgi 6y ago

Oh wow, so we are spamming with fake comments on the Hacker News now?

Dgetman 6y ago
I'm sorry but what makes you think all of these comments are fake?

boboche 6y ago

I stopped reading at “miracle berry”. Everytime you see junk marketing with the miracle buzzword, 99.9% is a scam or overselling, etc. I feel fine missing on the potential 0.1% too ;)

Dgetman 6y ago
Yeah I understand. That's actually been a pain point for me because that is literally what the fruit is called. Check it out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synsepalum_dulcificum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synsepalum_dulcificum

davej 6y ago

This is a great alternative way to have a fun evening with housemates during lockdown. Tried this with a cheap whiskey + lemon, it was dangerously tasty. Congrats Daniel!

Dgetman 6y ago
Thanks Dave! I hope ToDesktop is going well :)

floatingatoll 6y ago

Folks with sensory processing disorders, be aware that miracle fruit / miraculin can be a very complicated experience if you’re trying it at full strength the first time. Make sure to be prepared for self-care if it triggers a panic attack. I imagine something designed consciously as a food additive is probably a lot less intense, but I’m also in the SPD-taste zone of “I’d rather not have it taste sweet at all, than have it taste cloying/herbaceous from stevia”. YMMV.

Dgetman 6y ago
Very interesting. Could you share more about your experience of sensory processing disorders?
- floatingatoll 6y ago
  The above is all I’ve got for this post, sorry.

saeho85 6y ago

I've tried wozi few weeks ago and what it does to natural food (such as fruits) is so good that you should try it at least once. There are some tricky concerns with the product (many of which already mentioned in the thread) but I'm sure it's something the founder will iterate and find the answer on. I'm excited to see how the product will evolve and get better from here!

omneity 6y ago

My experience with Wozi was interesting. Some drinks like Club-mate (quite popular here in Berlin) become almost syruppy. If you like strong espressos, prepare to experience a different drink altogether. Try not to overdose on coffee, it will be tasty but it still has the same amount of caffeine. Also, I didn't know pickles would be such a delicacy (the taste was completely unexpected and funny as far as a specific taste can make you laugh). It's a great way to get a boost in taste and sweetness in many foods (without the increase in sugar), but you'll have to find out what your new you likes. I very much recommend trying it out at least once.

abrookewood 6y ago

I think you're being a little disingenuous. I've tried magic berries many times over the years and they aren't going to do anything to make you 'eat healthy'. Sure, it's fun to eat lemons (sweet and delicious), but it's not going to make me crave carrots. They're a party trick, nothing else.

aaron695 6y ago

Very cool. We had some freeze dried miracle berry's for xmas and discussed why no one has done exactly what you have done. It looks great. Good luck.

berrynice 6y ago

Instead of 'hacking your taste buds' just learn to be satisfied with the food you have, you don't have to enjoy eating.

Mumps 6y ago

First time hearing of miracle berry, will absolutely give it a shot. Here's some feedback about the idea, hopefully helpful. :) Pricing seems really tough for me. In general my meals are around the £1-3/serving range, when cooking at home. adding 33-100% cost to my meals regularly is a deal breaker. As a curiosity I'll absolutely be interested to try this out - probably as a lockdown tastetest "date night". To me, that is a much more viable niche for this product, and thus I'd be in the £10 range for the product. You stress 30s versus minutes like that is a deal breaker. I'm not confident this as strong of a selling point as you think - at least not for me. Site looks nice, and the free UK shipping is awesome! > NATURAL Please, as a neuroscientist - who therefore also studied biochemistry as part of their degree - don't use this word in this way. All things are natural (what is "unnatural"? Ectoplasm?) and you know that there is nothing inherently wrong or different about synthetic compounds.

Dgetman 6y ago
I hear you on the pricing. This is probably something you'll do once or twice a day if you make a routine out of it. I intend to get the prices down at scale, but when you put it against other consumer products (RXbar, starbucks coffee, etc) it turns out to be not so bad. 30s (maximum) vs 5 minutes (minimum) - I think you'd get it after you sat down and tried it. I'm getting feedback that it is a dealbreaker and why my product is superior. In an A/B test, people literally gave up on the pills because they got bored. Imagine what 5 minutes means if you're rushing to get to work. Natural - It's all about marketing. While you are right, that's not what 99% of Americans believe and they all specifically search for natural products. The fact that this odd effect comes from a fruit I think is important because it is perceived safer than if it was a synthetic compound causing these taste changes.