After years of calling out misleading food labels and exposing shady marketing tactics in the grocery aisle, Revant Himatsingka — better known on Instagram and YouTube as Food Pharmer — is finally flipping the script. He’s stepping out of the role of watchdog and into the founder’s chair with the launch of his clean-label nutrition brand, Only What’s Needed (OWN).
The debut product? A whey protein powder stripped of all the usual fluff — no artificial sweeteners, no fillers, and no unpronounceable ingredients. The soft launch is set for June, with a full rollout planned for July.
“I’ve always been the guy pointing out what’s wrong with food products. But now I want to be part of the solution,” Revant told Moneycontrol. “People often tell me, ‘We get it — this brand is bad, that brand is worse. But what should we actually buy?’ This brand is my answer to that.”
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But OWN isn’t just Revant’s solo venture. It’s been built from the ground up with his online community — nearly every major decision has been crowdsourced. From the brand name (he originally considered calling it Take Charge) to the product category and even the ingredient list, it’s all been influenced by thousands of comments and polls from followers who wanted something better on the shelves.
“The name ‘Only What’s Needed’ came straight from a follower,” he says. “And the ingredients? People literally told us what they wanted — and what they didn’t.”
True to its name, OWN aims to keep things brutally simple. No extra sugar. No unnecessary additives. Just the basics, done right. Revant says that’s the entire point — giving people food that doesn’t require a PhD to understand.
“You should be able to look at a label and not feel like you’re decoding a science experiment,” he says. “The moment you put garbage in your body, you give up control. This is about taking back control — ownership, literally — over what you eat.”
But that simplicity doesn’t mean cheap. Revant is upfront: the product won’t be the lowest-priced option on the market. “Quality costs money,” he says. “But what we won’t do is burn crores on advertising. If I can cut down marketing costs by 20–30%, I’d rather pass that benefit to the customer.”
Initially, OWN will be available online via the brand’s website, as well as through Amazon, Flipkart, and quick commerce platforms. Offline expansion isn’t on the cards just yet. “Retail is a different beast,” he says. “And right now, we’re not trying to be everywhere — we’re trying to be right where it matters.”
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To bring the idea to life, Revant has tied up with a manufacturing unit in Tirupati, which is also putting skin in the game by investing in the brand. That initial backing should keep the venture afloat for the first six months. After that, depending on traction, he’s open to raising more capital.
