Skratch Labs has its roots in two key ideas that form the pillars for who we are today.

The first idea is that food and drink is better when it’s made from scratch.

When Dr. Allen Lim, our founder, was working as a coach and sport scientist on the Pro-Cycling Tour, the single biggest complaint that athletes had was that conventional sports nutrition left a bad taste in their mouths and an even worse feeling in their guts. It’s a problem that’s not limited to world-class athletes, but an issue that almost anyone who has consumed highly processed sports drinks, bars, chews, or gels, under the guise of performance, has ironically experienced. To remedy this problem, Dr. Lim, began literally making the food and drink he gave to riders, in races like the Tour de France, from scratch.

He started blending a simple sports drink with less sugar, more sodium, and real fruit to keep athletes better hydrated. At the same time, he prepared delicious recipes like savory rice cakes, parmesan potatoes, and freshly baked cookie bars to fuel his team. While it may not have always been easy or convenient, this return to real food and drink was based on evidence based problem solving – on relentless experimentation and critical feedback from some of the best athletes in the world.

The second pillar for us at Skratch Labs is the belief that no matter where you find yourself in life, it’s never too late to start from scratch.

When we first started Skratch Labs, we just wanted to help people solve problems. But doing so, meant we had to solve a lot of our own problems, both personally and professionally. We literally had to start our lives over from scratch – a new beginning that is very much our own American Dream. Fortunately, the same problem solving skills that we used to create our products, allowed us to learn quickly. We pulled ourselves up from our bootstraps and got to work, adapting through creative innovation. It’s this innovation and the basic belief that we can transform for the better that forms the basis of our mission. A mission to provide people, regardless of where they find themselves, with the inspiration, life skills, and products so that they can take better care of themselves and their families through real nutrition created for a lifetime of physical activity.