Healthtech company Bioniq and dietary supplement manufacturer Ipsum announced a joint project in this category.
The partners will build a factory to produce protein bars, soufflés, and electrolyte marmalade.
Investments will total 250 million rubles, and the initial production capacity will be 1,500 tons, or 30 million units per year.
The snacks will be available in the partners’ online stores, as well as on marketplaces and retail shelves, as early as 2026.
Neither Bioniq nor Ipsum have previously produced products, but they are already planning to expand their product range and increase production volumes.
However, they have not yet decided on the factory location: the Moscow region, the Volga region, or the Caucasus.
Market Data
In the first half of the year, sales of protein-rich sweets increased by 34% year-on-year in volume to 8,600 tons and by 42% in value to 16.8 billion rubles (NTech data).
Sales of all sports nutrition products increased by 14.7% last year to 11,100 tons (BusinesStat data).
In the first nine months of 2025, sales of protein desserts on Ozon increased by 60% year-on-year, and by almost a third on Wildberries.
Sales of the most popular type of sweets, bars (60% of the market by volume according to NTech data), increased by 11% in volume at VkusVill, and doubled in value at Magnit.
However, the pace has slowed: in the first half of 2025, demand for protein treats increased by 30%, compared to 43% the year before (Nielsen data).
Reasons for the Dynamics
Protein products continue to attract healthy lifestyle enthusiasts, who are increasingly incorporating functional snacks into their diets.
Consumers are also becoming accustomed to buying sporting goods online, and in response, marketplaces are expanding their product range.
Project Prospects
DSM believes that dietary supplement manufacturers rarely enter the food market because they require different equipment and documentation.
The Union of Dietary Supplement Manufacturers counters this by stating that the supplements and functional nutrition segments are similar in terms of competencies and capacity.
They also believe that a new manufacturer could gain a share of the segment provided they invest in promotion and a high-quality advertising campaign.
Partner Information (Rusprofile data)
Bioniq is managed by Bioniq-Medsi LLC, which is owned by Luxembourg-based BQ Ventures SCSP (75%) and Fedor Viktorov (25%). Revenue for 2024 is RUB 142.5 million (down 3.5% year-on-year), net loss is RUB 82.6 million (down 30.1%).
Ipsum is represented by Nutrition Active LLC and Nutrition Pharm LLC. Both are owned by UNK Holding JSC, owned by Umar Kremlev (50%) and Alexander Dzidzaria. Total revenue for 2024 is RUB 938.5 million (up 4.1x), net profit is RUB 210.8 million (up 2.8x).