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MY STORY
My name is Kyler Caldwell, and I am a high school student from Tokyo, Japan. Several years ago, in an attempt to improve my health and physical fitness, I developed an eating disorder called orthorexia. I became severely malnourished, which not only impacted me physically but mentally and emotionally as well.
Fortunately, with the help of a strong support system that was around me and a lot of hard work, I overcame orthorexia and recovered from the impacts of malnutrition. Through the recovery process, I gained a new, deep understanding of the importance of proper nutrition, as I experienced on a daily basis how the intake of appropriate macro and micronutrients improved my body, mind, and emotional wellbeing.
I also learned about the severity of malnutrition as a global problem. Billions of people worldwide suffer malnutrition because they do not have access to appropriate resources. Others are led down the wrong path by the massive levels of misinformation on nutrition that populates the internet and other media platforms.
I decided that I should try to help in any way that I can. After hundreds of hours of research and development, I created the first Genki nutrition bar and The Genki Project was born. However, manufacturing and distributing healthy, eco-friendly food product is just the first step. My goal is to make The Genki Project so much more: a platform that provides educational, financial, and emotional support in the nutrition sector to those who may not otherwise have access to such support. Please review other parts of this website to gain some insight into what we are now doing to meet these goals.
The Genki Project is just in its early stages, but I am excited about the things we can do, and I hope you will join us in our journey to help combat malnutrition.
THE GENKI PROJECT: FOUR PILLARS
NUTRITION
Our handmade Genki Nutrition Bars are made with natural ingredients, balancing macro- and micronutrients in a manner that is designed to provide long-lasting energy, and whey protein to provide a protein boost. However, our dedication to nutrition doesn’t end there. From the beginning, the Genki Project has donated a portion of its profits to NGOs that combat food insecurities and malnutrition. Currently, we have a “one meal for one bar” program -- for every bar a customer purchases, we donate to a foodbank a portion of the revenues that is sufficient to secure one meal for persons in need.
SUSTAINABILITY
To help address our pressing climate crisis, Genki Nutrition Bars are packaged using a hybrid
product that is over 70% paper, which introduces into the environment significantly less plastics
and other non-biodegradable products than competitor products. The paper packaging uses a
cutting edge barrier technology that helps protect and preserve the bars. Soon we hope to
introduce new packaging that will cut the non-paper ingredients even further.
We also produce Genki Nutrition Bars without food waste. In other words, we use 100% of our
ingredients in making Genki Nutrition Bars, and no “leftovers” are thrown away.
COMMUNITY
Our Genki Nutrition Bar program provides employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, a marginalized community that struggles to find employment in Japan. We partner with Setagaya Fukushi Sagyosho, a Setagaya City government-owned facility that provides employment services for persons with disabilities. We train the individuals to produce the nutrition bars following our original recipe and processes, and to prepare the products for distribution using our environmentally conscious packaging. In the future, we hope to expand our production to similar facilities throughout the Tokyo region.
EDUCATION
Kyler launched The Genki Project after struggling with health issues resulting from malnutrition. During his recover process, Kyler learned about the physical and mental health benefits of proper nutritional intake and believes people – and young audiences in particular – need access to appropriate information on these topics (rather than the misinformation that is so abundant on (social media). With a deep commitment to providing meaningful information on nutritional health, The Genki Project aims in the near future to launch content about nutritional and other health issues, such as articles from nutrition and health specialists, links to educational materials, and a podcast that will begin soon.
Please check back for more information in the coming months!