Just one year after breaking ground to build the nation’s first facility to process whey specifically from organic cow, goat and sheep cheese, Wisconsin Specialty Protein in Reedsburg has launched a new line of whey protein products in flavors ranging from fair trade dark chocolate to yumberry, a fruit sourced from southeast Asia.
Made with all-natural ingredients, “teraswhey™” protein products are available in 12-ounce cans and single serve pouches and retail online for $19.99 and $1.99. The product can be added instantly to water or milk, shaken and drank right from a water bottle. It includes only five ingredients, sourced from sustainable dairy farms and small local cheese plants in southwestern Wisconsin, and infused with “super fruit” flavors from ecosystems around the world.
The amazing part about all this? The drinks actually taste good. Tera Johnson, CEO and brainchild behind Wisconsin Specialty Protein, says that’s because she’s engineered them to taste smooth and fruity, instead of chalky, like most whey protein drinks.
Not only are the products designed for professional athletes, but also for real people (like me) who need to replace their daily Mountain Dew with a high protein, low carb drink.
The best part about the product is it’s completely traceable, sustainably produced and local. “When I say I know where our whey comes from, I mean I know the cheesemakers, the farmers, and the communities,” Tera says.
Each serving of “teraswhey™” contains 20 grams of protein and only 5 grams of carbs from fruit and “low glycemic index stevia,” meaning a consumer’s blood sugar will not spike (this is obviously important for folks with diabetes). The drinks are formulated using “super fruits” known for their extremely high antioxidants, and the best tasting vanilla and chocolate on the planet – the same varieties that French pastry chefs demand. Flavors now available in r-BGH free cow’s milk include:
- Acaí – a tropical fruit of Brazil
- Wolfberry – from the Tibetan Plateau
- Yumberry – sourced from Southeast Asia
- Fair Trade Dark Chocolate – from cacao beans in Brazil
- Bourbon Vanilla – sourced from islands in the Indian Ocean
In addition, goat’s whey protein concentrate drinks should be online by year’s end, Tera says.
A bit of info about WI Specialty Protein: it’s been on a fast track since breaking ground in Reedsburg last July. The $14 million, 20,000 sq. ft. facility currently employs a staff of 13 and is in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification process. The facility incorporates passive solar design elements, rain gardens, recycled water, and heat. It uses 40 percent less energy than a typical whey drying plant. The building’s only air emissions are steam.
Pretty cool. Time to start drinking something healthy!
