Huel. What we optimised away.
Huel sold for a billion euros after persuading a generation that food was a problem to be optimised. That generation is now turning the packet over to read the label.
THE GIST ON HUEL: "What We Optimised Away"
What did Huel sell?
Huel just sold for a billion euros. It convinced a generation that food was a problem to be optimised. That same generation is now turning the packet over to read the label, because optimising your body and nourishing it turned out to be two completely different things.
What was the moment?
Huel launched at a very specific cultural moment. The productivity obsession optimised everything. The body was a machine to be upgraded, and eating was inefficient. Huel solved that: everything your body needs, without the wasteful act of thinking.
Then what shifted?
Food became the villain. Seed oils became a dinner party debate. Farmers markets boomed. The same people who optimised their breakfast started asking what was in it.
Engineer everything for maximum efficiency and you remove everything that isn't measurable, and the things that made food meaningful aren't measurable. The priority has shifted from performance to integrity, with a deeper discomfort at the idea that efficiency is always the goal.
Does it reach beyond food?
Yes. In skincare, people are moving away from engineered, synthetic-heavy products towards simpler, ingredient-led formulations. Whether it's what you eat or what you put on your skin, the question is becoming the same: is it real, and do I actually need it?
That's what makes the deal so interesting. Danone paid a billion euros for a brand built on the old priority, at the exact moment the market is moving the other way. It saw a billion dollar category and bought the leader. But the brands that define the next decade won't be the ones that sold food. They'll be the ones that give it back. Are you still buying Huel?
Meal shake or a proper meal?
Your take. One tap, then see how everyone else voted.
Quick answers
Who bought Huel?
Danone, for a billion euros.
What changed in food culture?
The priority shifted from performance to integrity, with seed oil debates and booming farmers markets.
What question is replacing optimisation?
Is it real, and do I actually need it?
See you on the next one.
What should the next one be? Suggest a topic for Huw to explain
The conversation
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