I’ve been a Huel customer since 2017. Like many other participants on this forum, I was a huge fan of the original Mac & Cheeze formula. I literally ate it every day when it became available. Candidly, the Huel team really destroyed this product with the “New and Improved” version and the thought that I’ll potentially never be able to taste the amazingness that was the first version again is heartbreaking. I used to tell my friends/family that it could be served as a $40 entree at a fine dining establishment and I’d think it was worth every cent. Now I tell them not to bother with the Mac & Cheeze.
So, I’m just one customer and I don’t get to see the full picture. However, I’m also a data and retail person with a history of building powerful Analytics teams from the ground up in the ecom/retail space. With how exceptional the original was compared to how poor the new formula is, I can’t help but ask two questions:
1.) Are you sure there wasn’t an error in logic made by the analyst(s) looking at the reorder data that was the basis for Huel making the decision to “fix” a product that wasn’t broken? With the relative clunkiness of Huel’s subscription process, I would not be at all surprised if the analyst had failed to consider/account-for a few “gotchas”/caveats while conducting an order history analysis that could have drastically impacted the conclusions drawn from the data.
2.) Now that time has elapsed since releasing the new version, how does the reorder data compare to the old version? Does Huel believe this change was successful?
It’s interesting because I have the opposite feelings. I thought the original Mac & Cheeze was pretty terrible. I’d even say it was the worst vegan Mac n Cheeze I’ve ever had and I’ve had LOTS, from restaurants all over the world and many recipes I’ve made at home. I don’t hold Huel to the same standards as regular food, I feel a lot of slack needs to be given because first and foremost a Huel meal is complete nutrition in a “just add water” package so certainly some sacrifices in texture and taste must be made to achieve that feat. But the Huel Mac & Cheeze was barely palatable for me. The “sauce” presented as paste, particularly in texture but also kind of in flavor. The pasta didn’t hold up in it. It felt a bit like cement in my stomach for an hour after eating it. I really could not enjoy or recommend it. I kept it in my rotation for the sake of variety but I pulled out the Mac bag about 1/8 as often as the other flavors I eat. And I tended to regret it when I did eat it. That one’s on me.
So when Huel announced Mac had been updated I was hopeful even though I saw a couple posts from people who said Huel “ruined it.” I got a bag and was immediately pleasantly surprised. The sauce is much more like cheese sauce, much less like paste. The new pasta shape actually holds up and achieves a good texture. The chalkiness is basically gone and it doesn’t feel like digesting cement anymore. It’s still not near the enjoyment level of great Mac n Cheeze at my favorite restaurants or that I make myself, but for an add-water instant meal with compete nutrition I’d give it 5 stars. It’s now in equal rotation with the other hot Huel flavors I enjoy and I feel confident in recommending it to others.
My GF had the exact same feelings regarding the old Mac (except she swore off of it entirely) and now buys the new version regularly.
So it just goes to show that any recipe change is likely to win some and lose some when it comes to customers. Huel’s job is to win more than they lose. I hope they are.