Whey Flavour Revolution

WHEY PROTEIN IS, WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE MOST COMPETITIVE PRODUCT CATEGORY IN THE SUPPLEMENT MARKET. THAT MEANS MARGINS ARE TIGHT AS MANUFACTURERS COMPETE ON PRICE, AND ON PROTEIN CONTENT AND QUALITY.

- Pedro Van Gaalen

FRONTLINE BATTLEGROUND

However, a new frontier in the battle for the hearts and minds (and share of pocket) of supplement consumers has emerged, with manufacturers introducing major innovations in product flavours as a new way to capture market share and gain a market-leading position in what is generally considered the “gateway” product to all other supplements.

“South Africa has caught up to and, in some cases, is now leading the international sports nutrition market, offering a wide range of supplements as an everyday lifestyle alternative,” continues Gareth. “With regard to whey, this is predominantly in the form of new flavour variants, which is creating a dynamic that keeps retailers and consumers interested. This ultimately ensures that brands are spending money on innovation to push the boundaries on product quality and the organoleptic properties of the products they manufacture.”

This view is echoed by Matthew Haldenby, founder of Titan Nutraceutical Technologies (TNT), which manufacturers the TNT Mercury 100% Prime Whey range, who says the highly competitive local whey market now offers consumer a seemingly infinite variety of flavours.

“To maintain our unique position as a brand we reviewed consumer buying trends and identified a pattern in taste preference that reflected a higher purchase frequency directed towards dessert flavours. With this is mind, we opted to not go for the generic options available to us locally, preferring rather to look at the leading international flavouring houses to fuse certain flavours. The end result was three delicious dessert variants sourced from Holland that we are proud to put our name to, in the form of Cream Toffee, Vanilla Caramel and Chocnut Butter whey options,” explains Matthew.