From grass to glass: how we make the best protein powders

Since The Organic Protein Co. was founded in 2014, we’ve worked hard to not only make the best protein powders in terms of taste, quality and welfare but to also give our customers all the information they need to make informed health choices.

We believe customers deserve to know exactly what goes into our products and how they’re made. Transparency has always been a priority for us, never an afterthought. 

We’ve created the guide below to give you everything you need to know about how we make our organic whey protein powders; it’s your behind-the-scenes invitation to the process from grass to glass.

The journey of our whey protein powders begins with organically reared cows on farms across the UK, France, Germany, Finland, Sweden and other European countries, depending on the supply. 

The cows are primarily grass-fed, grazing freely in organic pastures when the weather allows. In poor weather conditions, they are housed in spacious, naturally lit barns and fed dried grass supplemented with organic cereals.

They provide high-quality, nutrient-rich milk which is carefully collected and then pasteurised at 70°C for 15 seconds. This process effectively eliminates any potentially harmful bacteria, without degrading the nutritional integrity of the milk. 

In the hands of organic vegetarian cheese makers, the milk undergoes traditional fermentation which uses friendly bacteria to partially ferment it. This traditional process avoids the need for any animal rennet - keeping our products vegetarian-friendly - and separates the milk into solid curds and liquid whey.

Once separated, the curds are filtered and processed separately to create cheese, leaving the liquid whey ready for the next step.

Liquid whey, once seen as a by-product and often discarded, is now recognised for its nutritional value. It’s collected in refrigerated tanks and sent to a whey filtration plant in Germany.

Here, advanced filtration techniques are employed. The whey undergoes high-pressure filtration through ceramic pipes with varying pore sizes; this effectively separates the lactose, fat and minerals from the resulting protein-rich whey. In doing this, the lactose content is reduced by around 95%.

The whey is then gently heated to 30°C to initiate evaporation and reduce excess liquid content, achieving a thicker consistency.

This concentrated liquid whey is then subjected to a process called spray drying. This process atomises the liquid into fine droplets which are then passed briefly through a chamber of hot air.

This rapid dehydration process, typically at around 200°C and for only a fraction of a second, minimises heat exposure and therefore preserves the integrity of the whey protein molecules.

Before this, the initial stage of heating at 30°C also minimises the duration of heat exposure, preventing the denaturation of the whey protein, retaining the bioactive protein fractions, and maintaining a clean, creamy flavour profile.

Comprehensive quality testing is a key aspect of the process, ensuring our products meet stringent quality and safety standards:

• Microbiological tests are conducted to verify the absence of any harmful pathogens and ensure the product is safe to consume.

• The protein content is analysed and precisely measured to ensure the correct level of protein concentration.

• Sensory evaluation is performed to make sure our whey protein maintains the clean, creamy taste profile that our customers love.

Once verified for quality, the whey protein powder is packed into heat sealed sacks, maintaining its freshness and quality during transportation. 

It’s then delivered to an organic-certified UK packing facility, which is also BRC AA accredited. This is the highest achievable food safety standard, the benchmark for good manufacturing practice, and certifies strict adherence to quality and safety standards.

Here, our unflavoured whey protein powder is packaged in a strictly gluten-free clean room, avoiding gluten contamination.

Our flavoured protein blends - chocolate, vanilla, and banana - receive the same care. Whey protein powder is blended with the highest quality wholefood organic ingredients to create delicious flavours and then packed in the same way as our unflavoured protein.

Each batch undergoes testing to confirm there is no gluten contamination. Third-party laboratories test the nutritional accuracy of the batch, with the results made available on our website.

Once packed, our whey protein powders are distributed to a warehouse, where all orders are dispatched and delivered to our wonderful customers.

It’s no secret that whey is an outstanding source of protein, offering all 9 of our essential amino acids, all 3 branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), and with the highest bioavailability compared to other sources.

We go one step further, taking all the impressive nutritional benefits of this liquid gold and giving you even more to enjoy, with:

• Organic, primarily grass-fed milk which is free from hormones, GMOs and routine-use antibiotics.

• A much cleaner, creamier taste thanks to fresh, primarily grass-fed milk and gentle production methods.

• Absolutely no artificial additives, sweeteners or thickeners, ensuring clean ingredients and completely natural products which are better for your health - and your tastebuds!