Strive Nutrition said that the product promises the ‘real taste and nutrition’ of cow’s milk, without what it termed the ‘health and environmental downsides’ of conventional dairy.
The lead product will be Strive FREEMILK Whole, an animal-free milk alternative that whips, foams, blends, cooks, and tastes like the real thing. Leveraging Perfect Day’s animal-free whey protein, Strive has created an alt dairy beverage that is free of lactose, hormones, antibiotics, and cholesterol.
Strive FREEMILK Whole will offer 25% more protein, 75% less sugar, and less saturated fat than regular whole cow’s milk, the company said.
Other products in the line will include FREEMILK Chocolate, which has less sugar and more protein than regular chocolate dairy milk.
Strive will also offer Strive Oat+Protein and Strive Almond+Protein, both enriched with 10 grams of Perfect Day animal-free whey protein per serving. The company stressed that represents more than three times the level of protein found in the leading oat milk brand and 10 times more than the leading almond milk.
The company was quick to tout the benefits this approach has not only compared to conventional dairy but also versus plant-based alternatives. “Unlike oat and almond proteins, Perfect Day animal-free whey protein is a “complete” protein with all nine essential amino acids, and a big reason for Strive’s delicious, milk flavor,” the company stated.
Later in 2022, Strive will introduce protein shakes and sports hydration protein beverages.
Creating ‘wow’ products with clean labels
Strive Nutrition was founded by the Cohlmia family. It comes with 40 years of experience in aseptic food processing and packaging for both the dairy and plant-based food industries.
“As a family-owned business that’s worked extensively in the dairy industry, we are excited to partner with Perfect Day to create this line of great-tasting, animal-free, protein-enriched beverages,” said Dennis Cohlmia, co-founder at Strive Nutrition Corp.
“Our priority is to develop great tasting 'wow' products with clean ingredient labels, that deliver efficient nutrition to the consumer and are good for our planet’s future generations by addressing climate change. Working with Perfect Day, our vision is to be a force in setting the future direction of dairy.”
Perfect Day’s precision fermentation for animal-free dairy ingredients
Perfect Day whey protein is made using precision fermentation techniques. These are similar to how many common food components - like vitamins, probiotics, enzymes, and natural flavors - are made.
The milk protein makes foods that ‘look, taste, and feel identical to traditional dairy’, with the added benefit of being hormone-free, antibiotic-free, and lactose-free.
Compared to conventional dairy, Perfect Day’s production process reduces water use by up to 99%, emits up to 97% less greenhouse gas emissions, and uses up to 60% less non-renewable energy compared to conventional production methods.
“Strive’s new product platform extends the kinder, greener impact of our animal-free protein. With their proven expertise in best-in-class beverages, their team has crafted products that appeal to a broad base of consumers who want a full dairy experience or to enhance the nutrition of their favorite plant-based offering. This exemplifies what we see as the sustainable future of food—when our food system offers the best of animal-free options, integrated with and alongside sustainably produced traditional products and plant-based offerings—for every kind of conscious consumer,” said Perfect Day co-founder and CEO, Ryan Pandya.
