At GreyB, we often go beyond what the client explicitly asks for to deliver the best results.
Sakshi Tripathi shared a moment from a project with a leading American snack company that captures this well.
The project itself was straightforward. The goal was to identify nootropics and adaptogens that could deliver cognitive and mood benefits for application in food. The team also needed to evaluate the suitability of these ingredients across different formats within the scope of the US regulatory landscape.
In the initial phase, the team was filtering ingredients based on three clear parameters:
- Clinical evidence
- Regulatory approval
- Existing food applications
The research was structured. Everything was defined.
Inositol: The Whitespace in Food?
During the review, the team came across Inositol, an ingredient with strong human evidence supporting benefits for mood and focus. It had a clear regulatory green signal.
However, it didn’t fit the shortlist. This is because it was primarily used in dietary supplements, with limited presence in food products. So, as per the project’s parameters, it should have been filtered out.
But, the team asked a simple question:
If an ingredient is safe and effective, does the lack of current food applications make it irrelevant or does it make it interesting?
That question changed the direction of thinking.
Instead of discarding it, the team chose to briefly mention it in the weekly update, as a small observation. Not as a recommendation. Not as a conclusion. Just as a possibility.
This was not part of the scope.
The project wasn’t about identifying whitespace.
But sometimes, value sits just outside the boundaries we draw.
The client appreciated the insight and asked the team to include Inositol in the next phase of analysis.
How This Changed Greybians Mindset
Our role goes beyond researching and processing information within a defined scope. It is to interpret what the information could mean for the client.
Sometimes, the most valuable insight is not the one that perfectly fits the framework, but the one that challenges it.
What did we learn?
- Looking at filters as guides, not boundaries
- Questioning what gets excluded and why
- Thinking about relevance beyond current usage
- Sharing observations, even when they feel slightly out of place
Because often, that’s where the opportunity lies.
We don’t just aim to answer the question in front of us. We try to notice the ones that haven’t even been asked yet.