Research behind Stable

The research, strategy, branding and packaging were done by BrickBrack. The ad films were produced by our sister company, Wingwangwoah.

What Stable is

Stable is a functional drinks brand we built from scratch to show how BrickBrack works: research first, then the idea, then the identity and every pack. It has three products and a sampler:

Product	What it is	The number on the front
ProductStable Original	What it isA caffeinated drink built on the chemistry of matcha	The number on the front70 mg caffeine
ProductStable Water	What it isEveryday water with electrolytes, seaweed minerals and konjac fibre	The number on the front500 mg electrolytes
ProductStable Protein	What it isClear whey protein that drinks like water	The number on the front25 g protein
ProductThe Stable Stack	What it isOne of each, in one carton	The number on the frontOne steady day

This page covers the research behind it: what we read, what we found, and how each finding shaped a product, a pack or a line of copy.

The short version

What we asked	What we found	What it changed
What we askedWhat does the category sell?	What we foundHighs: big caffeine, sugar and extreme words	What it changedWe built the brand on the opposite: Steady beats spiky.
What we askedDoes sugar give you a lift?	What we foundA review of 31 studies found no mood boost, and more fatigue within the first hour [2]	What it changedEvery product has zero sugar
What we askedWhat can a caffeine drink be called in India?	What we foundSince July 2026, “energy drink” can’t be used as a product name [1]	What it changedThe can is Stable Original, a “Caffeinated Beverage”
What we askedWhy does matcha feel smoother than coffee?	What we foundIt brings L-theanine and catechins along with its caffeine [3][4][5]	What it changedOriginal carries caffeine from green tea, with L-theanine and catechins
What we askedCan a drink hydrate better than water?	What we foundDrinks with electrolytes and nutrients are kept in the body longer [11]	What it changedStable Water is “the better water”: water, upgraded
What we askedHow do you make protein look like water?	What we foundWhey stays clear at pH 3.6 and below [15]	What it changedStable Protein is an acidic, clear whey drink in a 330 ml can
What we askedWhich claims can a new brand make?	What we foundMany tempting ones need proof or approval first [1][13][14][16]	What it changedStable leads with facts: numbers, not adjectives

1. The category problem

The caffeine aisle competes on intensity: bold cans, big doses, sugar, and words like “rush” and “extreme”. Brands in the category in India include Red Bull, Monster, PepsiCo and Campa Energy [1].

Two findings shaped our view of it:

• The sugar lift is mostly a myth. A 2019 meta-analysis of 31 studies (1,259 people) found that carbohydrates did not improve mood at any point after drinking them. Within the first hour, people who had them felt more tired and less alert than people on placebo [2].
• The regulator is moving the same way. On 3 July 2026, India’s food regulator (FSSAI) said that “energy drink” is not a legally recognised product name. Products must be called caffeinated beverages, and claims such as boosting energy or improving focus need scientific evidence. Brands had until 29 September 2026 to relabel [1][10].

The insight: People want to get through long days in good shape, but the category sells highs that end in lows. Nobody owned the opposite.

2. The idea

Brand idea: Steady beats spiky.

Tagline: Stay level.

Positioning: For busy professionals, students and people who train, who want energy, hydration and protein that fit their day, Stable is the functional nutrition brand built around steadiness. Every product is designed to keep you level: measured, honest and easy to use.

Who it’s for

Persona	Who	What they want
PersonaThe long-day professional	Who25 to 40, office or hybrid	What they wantFocus through the afternoon
PersonaThe student	Who18 to 25, exams and late nights	What they wantAffordable, steady energy
PersonaThe trainer	WhoGym and run-club regulars	What they wantProtein without the shake; hydration after sessions
PersonaThe label reader	WhoReads every pack	What they wantHonest numbers, low sugar, everything declared

Why one idea can carry three products. A caffeine drink, a water and a protein drink have little in common, except the promise of keeping you level. That shared promise lets one brand own all three, and lets each product introduce the next.

A fictional founder, Sanyam Mittal, gives the idea a story: the 3 pm can, the 5 pm crash, the 6 pm second can. He wanted energy that stays even, water that hydrates and protein that tastes of nothing, so he built all three.

3. Stable Original

The product: a 250 ml slim can with 70 mg of caffeine from green tea, 70 mg of L-theanine, 60 mg of green-tea catechins and 0 g of sugar, sweetened with erythritol and stevia. Flavours: Citrus, Yuzu Mint and Berry.

The brief: the chemistry of matcha, without the taste of matcha.

What the research says

Matcha is a concentrated source of the compounds we wanted. Matcha tea plants are shaded before harvest, which raises their theanine and caffeine. Matcha is also the most concentrated source of green-tea catechins, of which EGCG is the most abundant [3]. Stable Original uses purified extracts of the same compounds, so it tastes clean and citrusy rather than grassy.

L-theanine and caffeine work well together. In two controlled trials:

• 50 mg of caffeine with 100 mg of L-theanine made 27 volunteers faster and more accurate at switching attention, and less distracted on a memory task, than placebo [4].
• 150 mg of caffeine with 250 mg of L-theanine improved accuracy and alertness, and reduced mental fatigue, headache and tiredness [5].

Both trials used more L-theanine than caffeine. Stable’s proposed 1:1 ratio would need its own testing.

Where the caffeine comes from doesn’t change how the body clears it. Caffeine is the same molecule whether it comes from coffee, tea or a can. It’s absorbed quickly and broken down in the liver [6], so its source doesn’t make it last longer. What can change is how fast it’s released. In one trial, a 200 mg sustained-release caffeine peaked at about 4 hours instead of about 1 hour, with the same total exposure, and participants reported feeling more alert and less jittery [7]. That study was small (24 men) and run with the ingredient’s maker. So we researched slow release but kept it off the pack until a Stable format is tested.

70 mg is a measured dose. The European Food Safety Authority finds single doses up to 200 mg and daily intakes up to 400 mg raise no safety concerns for healthy adults. It notes that 100 mg can affect sleep in some people when taken close to bedtime [8]. A standard 250 ml energy drink has about 80 mg [6].

The rules decided the can. India’s standard for caffeinated beverages sets caffeine at 145 to 300 mg per litre. Labels must say “Not recommended for children, pregnant and lactating women, persons sensitive to caffeine” and “Consume not more than 500 ml per day” [1][9][10].

• 70 mg in 250 ml is 280 mg per litre, inside the range.
• 500 ml a day is two cans. That’s why Original comes in a 250 ml can: one can is one long afternoon, and the daily limit is easy to follow.

What it changed

• The name became Stable Original, described as a Caffeinated Beverage.
• The front leads with 70 MG CAFFEINE and 0G SUGAR, with WITH L-THEANINE below.
• The back carries the caffeine box, the warnings, and “POLYOLS MAY HAVE LAXATIVE EFFECT” for the erythritol.
• The pack says “L-theanine and green-tea catechins, as found in matcha”. It makes no claim about a longer caffeine half-life or slow release.

4. Stable Water

The product: a 500 ml can of water with 150 mg sodium, 100 mg potassium, 230 mg chloride and 20 mg magnesium (500 mg of electrolytes in all), 1 g of konjac fibre and 0 g of sugar. Flavours: Unflavoured, Lime and Cucumber Mint. It’s also sold as a 4 g Water Mix sachet that makes 500 ml.

The brief: the better water.

What the research says

Some drinks hydrate better than water. In a trial with 72 men who each drank a litre of one of 14 drinks, an oral rehydration solution and milk kept more fluid in the body after 2 hours than still water. The authors point to volume, energy content and electrolyte content as factors [11]. That gave us the idea: start with water and add what helps your body keep it.

Stable Water is an everyday drink, lighter in sodium than a medical rehydration solution. So the pack states its electrolytes as a number and makes no “ultra hydrating” claim.

Mizu-Lyte electrolytes. Sodium chloride and potassium citrate, the salts the body loses in sweat. Mizu means water.

Kaisō minerals. Magnesium and trace minerals from a red seaweed extract. The red alga Lithothamnion calcareum is about 30% calcium and 6% magnesium by weight, and how much dissolves depends strongly on pH [12]. Kaisō means seaweed.

Konnyaku fibre. 1 g of konjac glucomannan per can, the plant fibre in Japanese konnyaku jelly, which swells in water. The European Food Safety Authority found that glucomannan can help weight loss as part of a calorie-controlled diet [13]. In the EU, that claim is only allowed at 3 g a day, in three 1 g doses with water before meals, alongside a calorie-controlled diet [14]. Stable Water has 1 g per can and India would need its own approval, so the pack says “with konjac fibre” and makes no weight claim. Konnyaku is konjac.

Why Japanese names. They give Stable Water an ingredient story it can own, and they connect it to Original’s matcha roots. Each name stands for a real ingredient that’s declared on the label, and the pack always explains it in plain English: “Kaisō minerals from red seaweed.”

What it changed

• The front leads with 500 MG ELECTROLYTES, 0G SUGAR and 1G FIBRE.
• The 500 ml can makes one real drink of water. The sachet makes the same 500 ml for travel, desks and daily use.
• A pricing note from the research: at ₹80 the sachet sits close to the ₹100 can while costing far less to make and ship. At ₹50 to ₹60 it would become the obvious daily buy.

5. Stable Protein

The product: a 330 ml can with 25 g of clear whey protein isolate, 106 kcal, 0 g sugar and 0.3 g fat. Unflavoured.

The brief: all the protein, none of the shake.

What the research says

Whey can be crystal clear if the drink is acidic enough. A food-science study found whey drinks stayed clear before and after heating at pH 3.6 and below. Above pH 3.8, the choice of other ingredients decided whether they clouded, and added salts made them cloudier [15]. So Stable Protein is formulated as an acidic drink, with citric and phosphoric acid as acidity regulators and no added salts.

25 g should qualify as “high protein” in India. For drinks, India’s claims rules allow “high protein” at 10% of the recommended daily allowance per 100 ml [16]. The allowance for an adult man is 54 g a day [17], which puts the threshold at about 5.4 g per 100 ml. Stable Protein has 7.6 g per 100 ml. We still flag the claim for a regulatory check before use.

The hardest technical brief in the range. Making 25 g of whey taste of nothing in 330 ml would take a food-technology partner several rounds of trials.

What it changed

• The front leads with 25 G PROTEIN.
• The tagline is This is a protein shake. It works because the drink looks like water. The copy on the back finishes the joke: “Tastes like water. Because it basically is.”
• The back says “Contains milk” and “Not a meal replacement”.

6. The Stable Stack

One Original, one Water and one Protein in a slim carton: a whole steady day to try. The whole range sits in one price band of ₹80 to ₹120, so trying a second product feels natural. Multipacks build the habit: Original in fours, Protein in sixes, Water Mix in boxes of ten.

7. From research to design

The research didn’t stop at the formulas. It shaped every pack.

• Numbers first. After the logo, the largest thing on every front is one number: 70 MG, 500 MG, 25 G. Our audience reads labels, and a number earns more trust than an adjective.
• A typeface built for reading numbers. The wordmark and every number are set in OCR-A, a typeface developed in the late 1960s so that machines could read printed text, and later standardised as ANSI X3.17-1981 [18]. It makes each number look like an instrument reading. Everything else is set in Roboto Mono, a free, open-licence monospace [19].
• A mark that rises without spiking. The logo is a tall ink block cut by one slash that climbs at 12.24°. It’s lift you barely feel, and it holds. The same cut splits every product bar into product colour above and flavour colour below.
• A quiet can in a loud aisle. Every pack has an off-white ground with ink type, and colour only in the product bar. Amber for Original, aqua for Water, sand for Protein.
• One material. We first planned clear bottles for Water and Protein. We moved the whole range into aluminium cans: one material, one print process and one family of shapes on the shelf. The can sizes (250, 330 and 500 ml) tell the products apart before you read anything.
• Built-in label rules. Caffeine box, warnings, polyols statement, veg mark, braille on every can, and the disclaimer on every pack.

8. What Stable says, and why

A claim we could have made	What Stable says instead	Why
A claim we could have made“Energy drink”	What Stable says insteadCaffeinated Beverage	Why“Energy drink” can’t be a product name in India [1][10]
A claim we could have made“Longer-lasting caffeine”	What Stable says insteadL-theanine and green-tea catechins, as found in matcha	WhyCaffeine is the same molecule from any source [6]
A claim we could have made“Slow release”	What Stable says insteadNot on pack yet	WhyIt needs a tested Stable format first [7]
A claim we could have made“No crash”	What Stable says instead70 mg caffeine. Zero sugar.	WhyPerformance claims need scientific proof [1]
A claim we could have made“Ultra hydrating”	What Stable says instead500 mg electrolytes	WhyA number is a fact; a superlative needs testing [11]
A claim we could have made“Weight loss”	What Stable says insteadWith konjac fibre	WhyThe EU claim needs 3 g a day; India needs approval [13][14]
A claim we could have made“High protein”	What Stable says instead25 g protein	WhyThe claim fits on paper; confirm before use [16][17]

9. Limits

• Formulations, nutrition values and prices are proposals, not tested products.
• BrickBrack is not a law firm. A food-regulatory consultant would sign off formulas, labels and claims before launch.
• Before launch, “Stable” would need a trademark search in Classes 32, 5 and 29. It’s a common English word.

References

1. FoodNavigator (27 Aug 2026). “Not enough time: India gives 90-day deadline to re-label energy drinks.”
2. Mantantzis, K., Schlaghecken, F., Sünram-Lea, S. I., & Maylor, E. A. (2019). Sugar rush or sugar crash? A meta-analysis of carbohydrate effects on mood. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 101, 45–67.
3. Kochman, J., Jakubczyk, K., Antoniewicz, J., Mruk, H., & Janda, K. (2021). Health benefits and chemical composition of matcha green tea: a review. Molecules, 26(1), 85.
4. Owen, G. N., Parnell, H., De Bruin, E. A., & Rycroft, J. A. (2008). The combined effects of L-theanine and caffeine on cognitive performance and mood. Nutritional Neuroscience, 11(4), 193–198.
5. Haskell, C. F., Kennedy, D. O., Milne, A. L., Wesnes, K. A., & Scholey, A. B. (2008). The effects of L-theanine, caffeine and their combination on cognition and mood. Biological Psychology, 77(2), 113–122.
6. German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) (23 Jul 2015). Frequently asked questions on caffeine and foods containing caffeine, including energy drinks.
7. Morde, A., et al. (2021). Pharmacokinetic profile of a novel sustained-release caffeine with extended benefits on alertness and mood: a randomized, double-blind, single-dose, active-controlled, crossover study. Current Research in Behavioral Sciences.
8. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (2015). Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine. EFSA Journal, 13(5), 4102. Summary.
9. FoodNavigator (21 Dec 2016). “FSSAI orders energy drinks to comply to regulations.”
10. OC Academy (28 Jul 2026). “FSSAI energy drink regulation compliance.”
11. Maughan, R. J., Watson, P., Cordery, P. A. A., Walsh, N. P., Oliver, S. J., Dolci, A., Rodriguez-Sanchez, N., & Galloway, S. D. (2016). A randomized trial to assess the potential of different beverages to affect hydration status: development of a beverage hydration index. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 103(3), 717–723.
12. Zhu, Y. S., Connolly, A., Guyon, A., & FitzGerald, R. J. (2014). Solubilisation of calcium and magnesium from the marine red algae Lithothamnion calcareum. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 49(6), 1600–1606.
13. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (2010). Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to konjac mannan (glucomannan). EFSA Journal, 8(10), 1798.
14. European Commission. Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods (glucomannan entries).
15. LaClair, C. E., & Etzel, M. R. (2010). Ingredients and pH are key to clear beverages that contain whey protein. Journal of Food Science, 75(1), C21–C27.
16. Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, Schedule I (protein claims). FSSAI compendium.
17. ICMR–National Institute of Nutrition (2020). A brief note on nutrient requirements for Indians: the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) and the Estimated Average Requirements (EAR).
18. “OCR-A.” Wikipedia.
19. Roboto Mono, designed by Christian Robertson. Google Fonts.