The Organic Protein Company eyeing 'healthy chunk' of UK whey market
Brighton-based The Organic Protein Company launched its Organic Food Federation-certified Organic Whey Protein in April 2014.
The product will attract those “health and fitness fans who care the environment and are interested in promoting animal welfare," the company claims.
Despite only being available online in the UK, Daniel Whitehead, founder, The Organic Protein Company, believes that “over a few years” organic whey protein can establish a position in the market.
“We’ve had a lot of interest,” Whitehead told DairyReporter.com. “There’s definitely demand.”
“We’re starting small on a shoe string budget. Realistically it is only going to be a few percent, but whey protein is a big market in the UK," he said.
"They want unflavored"
Alongside its gluten-free and non-GMO credentials, the company's Organic Whey Protein contains no artificial sweeteners of flavorings.
Pressed by DairyReporter.com, Whitehead denied that this lack of variation will limit consumer interest in the product.
“A lot of people don’t want flavorings in their protein powder," he said. "Much of the time they use it to make their own smoothies. So they want unflavored.”
Whitehead added that soy lecithin, regularly added to help powder mix easier with water, won't be found in its whey protein "because it mixes OK without it"
While still in its infancy, the company has set its sights on securing listings on the high street.
“We are currently supply few online stores, but we are also looking to get into a few retail stores,” said Whitehead.
California-made
With dairy farmers in the UK unwilling to invest in the technology required to produce organic whey protein, the product "comes from Jersey cows who graze freely on unpolluted organic grass pastures in Northern California."
Whitehead declined to identify the company's supplier, but said the product is sourced from dairy farms, certified by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program, in Humboldt County and surrounding areas in Northern California.
The whey, a by-product of cheese production, is then processed by organic cheese makers in the region before it is shipped.
Just weeks since The Organic Protein Company debuted its sole offering, Whitehead says plans are afoot to increase its order.
“I can foresee the shipments getting larger,” he said.
“In the next six to eight weeks we’ll be bringing in twice as much as we did in the first batch. And I can see this growing.”