# BE THE CHANGE - Seven years of research for a drink powder from St. Gallen > In 2012, two food scientists found a company in St. Gallen. They conducted research for seven years before a single product was launched on the market. Then Daniela Ryf joins them - not as the face of advertising, but as a developer. - Published: 2019-09-12 Speed counts in sports nutrition. New brands are entering the market, placing products and booking influencers. Swiss Health & Nutrition AG in St. Gallen did the opposite: they researched for seven years before selling a single product. No start-up pitch, no quick money. Instead, a laboratory at Spuhlstrasse 4, GMP and HACCP-certified processes and the conviction that sports nutrition can be done differently. The claim sounds big: "Food for life." What lies behind it is small-scale work. ## 2012: Two food scientists and one idea On November 6, 2012, Sven Altorfer and Barbara Stolba founded Swiss Health & Nutrition AG. Both are food scientists, both are managing directors. Altorfer heads research and development, Stolba research and product innovation. Their thesis: sports nutrition can be 100 percent Swiss, certified organic and free from artificial additives. No preservatives, no colorants, no flavors, no fillers. But this requires groundwork, not shortcuts. Altorfer's vision, as he formulated it at the launch: "To raise awareness of healthy and sustainable nutrition and set an example in our industry that quality and sustainability can successfully go hand in hand." What followed were years without sales. No product line, no online store, no sales. Only research in St. Gallen and a second location in Wald, Appenzell Ausserrhoden. ## 2019: The launch at ETH On September 12, 2019, the time has come. Swiss Health & Nutrition AG will present its BE THE CHANGE brand to the public at the 10th anniversary celebrations of ZFASS at ETH Zurich. Four products make up the first Swiss Sports line: Endurance Drink, Isotonic Sports Drink, Multi Protein Shake and Regeneration Shake. The Endurance Drink is based on a broad carbohydrate spectrum without free fructose, supplemented by electrolytes and amino acids. It is designed for endurance from one hour to ultra-distance, with a focus on stomach tolerance. All four products are on the Cologne List, the standard for doping safety of the German Sport University Cologne. The first live appearance at the Swiss Trail Tour in Lenk follows two weeks after the launch. In January 2020, ISPO honors the brand as BrandNew Selected Brand in the Body & Mind category. ## Daniela Ryf: From the podium to the lab Sometime around 2022, Daniela Ryf joins BE THE CHANGE. Not as a testimonial, but as an investor and member of the product development team. Ryf is a five-time Ironman world champion (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021) and a food science graduate - a rare combination that allows her not only to test products, but also to help formulate them. ## Colostrum and SWISS WOW COW In addition to the sports line, BE THE CHANGE is working on a second mainstay: cold-filtered Swiss colostrum. Through its own agricultural project SWISS WOW COW, the company sources surplus colostrum from Swiss partner farms and processes it into a supplement with an IgG content of over 60% without pasteurization. An upcycling approach with its own supply chain - and the most unusual product in the range. ## Swiss values: organic, zero waste, Cologne List BE THE CHANGE produces in accordance with the Swissness Ordinance: development, raw material procurement (where possible from Eastern Switzerland), production and quality control take place in St. Gallen. The entire production facility is certified organic. The sports products are gluten- and lactose-free. Packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable. The product bags of the sports line are biodegradable and home compostable. All Swiss-Sports products carry the Cologne List certification. There has not been a single positive doping case involving a Cologne List product since 2006. ## Why we carry BE THE CHANGE At Kilometro, we carry BE THE CHANGE because the brand shows what happens when food science meets endurance sports. Seven years of research before the first powder came in a bottle. An Ironman world champion who helps develop products instead of just posing for them. Certified organic production in St. Gallen, not a recipe bought in from abroad. BE THE CHANGE is not a typical cycling nutrition brand. Its strengths lie in triathlon, trail running and regeneration. In addition to Ryf, wheelchair athlete Marcel Hug (seven-time Paralympic champion) and steeplechase runner Chiara Scherrer (Swiss record holder in the 3000 meter steeplechase, 9:20.28) also wear the brand. It is precisely this width that suits us: because the Endurance Drink, which is in the drinking bottle during the Ironman, works just as well on the bike. --- Source: https://kilometro.ch/en/articles/be-the-change-seven-years-of-research-for-a-drink-powder-from-st-gallen