Do you want to see SNS offer a protein? Tell us what you want.

[sns8778]

We've been considering doing one or more types of protein powder later in the year and I wanted to get some opinions please.

1. What type(s) of protein powder would you like to see from SNS or CEL?
2. What flavors would you like? (These can be existing or typical protein flavors or flavors you've always wanted but no one has ever offered)

My initial thoughts are to start with a Whey Protein Isolate and a Whey Protein Isolate/Micellar Casein blend, and then to later on possibly do a Vegan protein and I would personally like to eventually do a couple of fruit flavors of Whey Protein Isolate.

Flavors:
For flavors, one of the most daunting things about a brand coming out with a protein now days is that the brands that have them already have so many flavors, and for smaller brands that don't have huge cashflow, it can be discouraging to even get into the protein segment because no matter how many flavors a company has, people are always going to want more.

To start with, we would have to start with 3 to 4 flavors of each type, but would be glad to reinvest all profits from protein sales directly back into offering new flavors. I want this to be fun - I want to of course offer flavors that sell the best, but also want to have fun with this and offer some unique and creative flavors down the line too.

So I'm very curious to hear what flavors that people would like to see us start with, but also what flavors people would eventually like to see us offer.

I look forward to hopefully hearing everyone's feedback and ideas. Thank you.

 

[GQdaLEGEND]

OMG yes i get asked about it so much .. would be nice to have protein from SNS/AM forum

Isolate
50/50 blend of isolate/casein ( i notice just in choclate these tastes good )

Milk Choclate
Vanilla ( not a fan of it but some love it )
Honey Graham or cinnamom toast ( some cereal based )
Cookies & cream would be nice to make some nice receipes.

^^ those are just plain ones that i feel most love
S'mores
Banana Chocolate
chocolate mint

 

[Dustin07]

I'd like @MrKleen73 to comment here.

I currently have a couple cases of muscle milk in stock cause my wife got it on sale at costco. it's not the best, but it's an extra 25gs that I throw down intra workout. When that's gone I will likely go back to powder and if SNS has powder, that's where I'm probably going to go anyways since basically half my paychecks go to sns anyways like some form of spousal support.

I have no strong opinion on the science of which protein is best. I do prefer high protein low carb content though because I can control my carbs in other ways.

 

[Beau]

The challenge will be to offer a cost-competitive product that, cost-wise, competes with products such as
MusclePharm Combat Protein Powder retailed at Costco. It may be a select audience who is willing to pay a higher price for a higher quality product. The concern would be slim margins necessitated by the need to compete with mass produced protein powder.

I am certain that all of this was more than obvious, but I thought I would share the concern regarding the potential need to provide a loss leader.

Sorry if this seems unduly negative - it is not intended that way.

 

[MrKleen73]

Honestly, I would rather see a good 80%WPC than isolate. Unless you just have major digestive issues there is no benefit to isolate over high quality WPC. Well maybe unless keto, however if you have a mixed macro diet already there just isn't much benefit to isolate. Definitely not one that justifies the increased cost of the powder. I tend to avoid Whey Isolate, it never tastes as good, or has as good of consistency, and the cost is just ridiculous compared to 80%WPC.

Unless you could make the price point of isolate as low as an 80% WPC it would likely keep me from purchasing it since no other benefit to me. I can have fats, and have no issues with lactic acid, so I cannot justify the increased expense, especially at the cost of taste and consistency.

Now, I might go with a milk protein isolate type of mix because the casein thickens up the shakes a good bit.

Bottom line if you make something at the right price point, then I am going to support you as usual! I just hope if you decide to go with Isolate that you also choose to do a good 80%WPC as well.

 

[sns8778]

The challenge will be to offer a cost-competitive product that, cost-wise, competes with products such as
MusclePharm Combat Protein Powder retailed at Costco. It may be a select audience who is willing to pay a higher price for a higher quality product. The concern would be slim margins necessitated by the need to compete with mass produced protein powder.

I am certain that all of this was more than obvious, but I thought I would share the concern regarding the potential need to provide a loss leader.

Sorry if this seems unduly negative - it is not intended that way.

Thank you for the input.

The reasons that you listed are some of the ones that have made me put off doing one for so long - people not knowing or caring about protein quality and differences, as well as it being hard to compete with brands that have large distribution networks.

In years past, I always thought about and worried about 'competing' with the other protein brands - but there is really no competing with established brands that have big distribution networks and supply in bulk - that's a customer base we're never going to get anyway; and we don't have the cashflow to even try to.

I look at many of the brands now that offer proteins and they aren't trying to - they're offering good tasting products, some that are better quality than others, and they're just focused on offering their own products rather than what everyone else is doing.

I know for me, I don't trust a large amount of the proteins on the market. I can't drink whey concentrate, so can rule those out - but then out of others, there aren't a lot I trust to meet labels claims and especially allergen claims, which is really important to me because I have food allergies. I know that one large brands protein that was supposedly gluten free really messed me up year before last.

In the end, we have to decide whether to do one or not - and if we do one, I have to worry about the things that we can control, which is delivering a top quality product at a great price.

We could offer a top quality, great tasting protein at a great price - but its already a very price competitive category so we wouldn't be but so much less than other companies offering a comparable product. It's just something I've been asked for by a lot of of customers and something I would like to offer to them. I realize that in today's world that brand loyalty almost doesn't exist anymore, but I'm tremendously appreciative of the people that are loyal to our brands and tell me they wish that we had a protein so they didn't have to buy anything from anyone else.

 

[sns8778]

Honestly, I would rather see a good 80%WPC than isolate. Unless you just have major digestive issues there is no benefit to isolate over high quality WPC. Well maybe unless keto, however if you have a mixed macro diet already there just isn't much benefit to isolate. Definitely not one that justifies the increased cost of the powder. I tend to avoid Whey Isolate, it never tastes as good, or has as good of consistency, and the cost is just ridiculous compared to 80%WPC.

Unless you could make the price point of isolate as low as an 80% WPC it would likely keep me from purchasing it since no other benefit to me. I can have fats, and have no issues with lactic acid, so I cannot justify the increased expense, especially at the cost of taste and consistency.

Now, I might go with a milk protein isolate type of mix because the casein thickens up the shakes a good bit.

Bottom line if you make something at the right price point, then I am going to support you as usual! I just hope if you decide to go with Isolate that you also choose to do a good 80%WPC as well.

Protein prices are always going to vary and if you're talking 2 lb. sizes, the cost of isolate isn't hugely more than concentrate; of course the gap widens by the pound so would be more significant on 5 lb. sizes than 2 lb. ones.

I respectfully have to disagree with the taste part or at least point out that it likely just comes down to the brands that you've used and the types that they use in their products - because a good quality isolate done correctly actually tastes much better than a concentrate. Some of the low quality cheaper isolates do taste terrible, that I agree with.

I realize with doing a protein that there is going to be no pleasing everyone - and that's a problem for me, is that I do try to please everyone. But that's impossible with a protein product - and if people are just looking for the cheapest, I would suggest to everyone about being cautious about brand quality to begin with and to buy reputable brands like Optimum, NOW Foods, etc.

I can't say that we would never do a concentrate, but I can say that at no more difference than the pricing is on WPC and Isolate at the current time, that I would much rather pay slightly more, even if have to sell for slightly more and offer a top quality product to our customers. Our pricing on a Whey Isolate would be comparable - and possibly slightly cheaper than comparable products, but if the expectation is for us to offer a better product and sell at lesser price than lower quality ones, that's just not realistic.

We may at some point down the road do a WPC if it ever makes financial sense to do it and we have enough requests for it, but it's not something we'd start out with.

 

[akboom87]

I almost always get chocolate it’s usually the safe bet. I do like a cookies and cream, also have had some that had the fruity pebbles flavor I thought was really good.

I also cheat I have one of those cordless coffee frother mixers, they have them at hobby lobby for like 10 bucks. It mixes anything and blends so smooth and fast.

 

[sns8778]

I almost always get chocolate it’s usually the safe bet. I do like a cookies and cream, also have had some that had the fruity pebbles flavor I thought was really good.

I also cheat I have one of those cordless coffee frother mixers, they have them at hobby lobby for like 10 bucks. It mixes anything and blends so smooth and fast.

Those do work good. I use those sometimes and I use a Blendjet a lot for mine too.

I like some chocolates - I drink so much protein that I normally keep several flavors of things open at once and tend to mix them together. Like today, I'm on my 1 scoop of chocolate with 1 scoop of cinnamon roll mixed together in a shake kick. I've had 3 of those today and 1 Blackberry Milkshake flavor one.

I like Cookies & Cream to and if I do one, its going to be gluten free. That leaves me with either doing the flavor but without cookie pieces or trying to use gluten free cookie pieces.

 

[sns8778]

OMG yes i get asked about it so much .. would be nice to have protein from SNS/AM forum

Isolate
50/50 blend of isolate/casein ( i notice just in choclate these tastes good )

Milk Choclate
Vanilla ( not a fan of it but some love it )
Honey Graham or cinnamom toast ( some cereal based )
Cookies & cream would be nice to make some nice receipes.

^^ those are just plain ones that i feel most love
S'mores
Banana Chocolate
chocolate mint

Thank you for the suggestions.

I think that chocolate and vanilla are must's. I've had some brands of those that I like and some that I'm not too fond of - and if we do one, its important to me that they be enjoyable to drink.

I do want to do a gluten free Cookies & Cream at some point.

I hadn't thought about Honey Graham - thank you for the suggestion.

I love Cinnamon Cereal Milk flavor - the Ketogenics Cinnamon Cereal Milk is fantastic.

Smores I thought about - thank you.

Chocolate Banana - I remember when Trutein made a Chocolate Banana and I loved that.

I love a good chocolate mint or mint chocolate chip.

Strawberry is a popular flavor but I don't know if I'd want to do like a Strawberry Shortcake or something creative like a Strawberry White Chocolate.

I like creative stuff myself, but the basics always seem to sell the best.

 

[akboom87]

i have always wondered the rocket pop flavor could that work in a protein?

 

[sns8778]

i have always wondered the rocket pop flavor could that work in a protein?

Me too. I really would like to eventually do a few fruit flavored proteins - Blue Raspberry Popsicle (like our Creatine HCI), Rocket Pop, Gummy Bear, and I had a few more ideas.

I've been using an EAA that is Tea flavored - which I was scared to try bc I didn't think I would like it, and I love it and would love to have it in a protein. I seriously drank a serving last weekend of that product on a non-workout day just for the flavor of it. If it was a protein, I would drink the heck out of it haha.

In general, to make them be fruit flavored, the protein goes through a process that does make it a little more foamy than the normal flavors.

 

[Smont]

I agree with the whey concentrate, I wouldn't want it all concentrate but a good chunk might help cut down the cost. I also like the idea of a whey/casein blend, it would be great for a meal substitute over oats or whatever that will last instead of a quick in and out like straight whey. I'm not opposed to egg or other animal proteins if it would help you cut the cost without disturbing the flavors too much.

I'd maybe like to see it very low in fat and carbs but I'm sure there's probably a certain amount needed to make certain flavors.

Flavors- basics chocolate and vanilla, if you wanna get crazy maybe make one like a kids cereal, Trix or something kinda like how that one brand does fruity pebbles. Idk, I'm pretty basic because I mostly use powders to make food or desserts with so I add my own flavors.

 

[Smont]

Me too. I really would like to eventually do a few fruit flavored proteins - Blue Raspberry Popsicle (like our Creatine HCI), Rocket Pop, Gummy Bear, and I had a few more ideas.

I've been using an EAA that is Tea flavored - which I was scared to try bc I didn't think I would like it, and I love it and would love to have it in a protein. I seriously drank a serving last weekend of that product on a non-workout day just for the flavor of it. If it was a protein, I would drink the heck out of it haha.

In general, to make them be fruit flavored, the protein goes through a process that does make it a little more foamy than the normal flavors.

If you could make some of those fruit flavors that mix up more water like and less frothy, holy crap lol, and rocket pop sounds awesome

 

[sns8778]

If you could make some of those fruit flavors that mix up more water like and less frothy, holy crap lol, and rocket pop sounds awesome

I'm really wanting to work on the fruit flavors - I think that there's going to be a certain amount of frothiness to them, just as part of the process to make the flavor systems work in them, but I'd do my best to limit the frothiness in any way possible.

I drink so much protein myself and I keep a bunch of containers open at once so as to not get tired of the flavors, but I would still love to have some fruit flavors that tasted good. It would be a great change pace and would be awesome for ice cubes, popsicles, and all sorts of other fun stuff.

 

[sns8778]

I agree with the whey concentrate, I wouldn't want it all concentrate but a good chunk might help cut down the cost. I also like the idea of a whey/casein blend, it would be great for a meal substitute over oats or whatever that will last instead of a quick in and out like straight whey. I'm not opposed to egg or other animal proteins if it would help you cut the cost without disturbing the flavors too much.

I'd maybe like to see it very low in fat and carbs but I'm sure there's probably a certain amount needed to make certain flavors.

Flavors- basics chocolate and vanilla, if you wanna get crazy maybe make one like a kids cereal, Trix or something kinda like how that one brand does fruity pebbles. Idk, I'm pretty basic because I mostly use powders to make food or desserts with so I add my own flavors.

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback.

The thing is that right now, WPC isn't a whole lot cheaper than WPI. Well, it is but it isn't. If you're a brand multiplying the difference times thousands of units a month, yes, it would be. But in our case, I'd be fine with absorbing an extra dollar or two a unit to offer a superior product. To me, if we were ever going to do a WPC or predominantly a WPC, it would be if we decided to make bulk size containers like back in the good old days.

I would want to go as low carb and low fat as possible, but it would vary a little bit by the flavor. If all goes well, I would like to by this time next year have quite a few flavors and there would be some for the people where every single carb mattered and then some for people that wanted some fun flavors and didn't mind if there was a couple carbs added for them to taste great.

I was thinking of doing a fruity cereal as one of the starter flavors. Chocolate and Vanilla would be definite ones and then I would like to add at least 2 more flavors in the beginning and was thinking of Fruity Cereal being one of them.

I have a huge list of flavors that I want to do - more than we would ever be able to actually offer haha.

 

[Smont]

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback.

The thing is that right now, WPC isn't a whole lot cheaper than WPI. Well, it is but it isn't. If you're a brand multiplying the difference times thousands of units a month, yes, it would be. But in our case, I'd be fine with absorbing an extra dollar or two a unit to offer a superior product. To me, if we were ever going to do a WPC or predominantly a WPC, it would be if we decided to make bulk size containers like back in the good old days.

I would want to go as low carb and low fat as possible, but it would vary a little bit by the flavor. If all goes well, I would like to by this time next year have quite a few flavors and there would be some for the people where every single carb mattered and then some for people that wanted some fun flavors and didn't mind if there was a couple carbs added for them to taste great.

I was thinking of doing a fruity cereal as one of the starter flavors. Chocolate and Vanilla would be definite ones and then I would like to add at least 2 more flavors in the beginning and was thinking of Fruity Cereal being one of them.

I have a huge list of flavors that I want to do - more than we would ever be able to actually offer haha.

Sounds awesome, it's even more awesome how excited you seem about it because that means a lot of thought is put into it and that also matters.

 

[Smont]

I'm really wanting to work on the fruit flavors - I think that there's going to be a certain amount of frothiness to them, just as part of the process to make the flavor systems work in them, but I'd do my best to limit the frothiness in any way possible.

I drink so much protein myself and I keep a bunch of containers open at once so as to not get tired of the flavors, but I would still love to have some fruit flavors that tasted good. It would be a great change pace and would be awesome for ice cubes, popsicles, and all sorts of other fun stuff.

I have a question that's a little off track but do you remember back in the day there was a company pushing what they said was s pure whey isolate rtd that was basically like water or Gatorade looking. Came in a glass bottle... isopure??? Regardless, how did they do that??? I always suspected it wasn't really protein and just aminos but I always wondered if it's possible how come no1 else does it

 

[sns8778]

I have a question that's a little off track but do you remember back in the day there was a company pushing what they said was s pure whey isolate rtd that was basically like water or Gatorade looking. Came in a glass bottle... isopure??? Regardless, how did they do that??? I always suspected it wasn't really protein and just aminos but I always wondered if it's possible how come no1 else does it

I knew the answer to this years ago, I'm going to try to try remember and explain the best that I can based off memory, but I'm paraphrasing because there are some details I don't remember exactly.

The product was legit to the best of my knowledge - the company themselves were/are legit. It was just very expensive and didn't taste the greatest and had a weird aftertaste. The glass bottles were used bc of the acidity.

A couple of companies tried to replicate it and do it in a plastic bottle and ran into some acidity issues. That's why the few you see now that are like that, like ON has a protein water with caffeine are less protein in them.

 

[Smont]

I knew the answer to this years ago, I'm going to try to try remember and explain the best that I can based off memory, but I'm paraphrasing because there are some details I don't remember exactly.

The product was legit to the best of my knowledge - the company themselves were/are legit. It was just very expensive and didn't taste the greatest and had a weird aftertaste. The glass bottles were used bc of the acidity.

A couple of companies tried to replicate it and do it in a plastic bottle and ran into some acidity issues. That's why the few you see now that are like that, like ON has a protein water with caffeine are less protein in them.

Ok, I had a feeling you would know. And I also noticed how the new protein waters are like 10-15gm, at least the ones I see in stores. Sorry let's get back to the topic so I don't derail your thread.

 

[Beau]

As for flavors, I used to enjoy the "50/50 Ice Cream Bar" that was half vanilla ice cream on the inside and half orange Popsicle on the outside, and I stumbled across a mix that tasted a lot like this. I used to mix Vitacost Orange Flavored Fish Oil with vanilla protein. It was surprisingly good.

There is just something about that 50/50 taste .....

 

[sns8778]

As for flavors, I used to enjoy the "50/50 Ice Cream Bar" that was half vanilla ice cream on the inside and half orange Popsicle on the outside, and I stumbled across a mix that tasted a lot like this. I used to mix Vitacost Orange Flavored Fish Oil with vanilla protein. It was surprisingly good.

There is just something about that 50/50 taste .....

Like a Creamsicle flavor?

I had thought about doing a creamsicle flavor - I've had some proteins that were supposed to be creamiscle flavor but actually seemed more orange than a mixture like a creamsicle.

 

[Smont]

Like a Creamsicle flavor?

I had thought about doing a creamsicle flavor - I've had some proteins that were supposed to be creamiscle flavor but actually seemed more orange than a mixture like a creamsicle.

Do it bartender style like a Creamsicle martini or shot.

Whip cream vodka
Triple sec
Oj
Half and half
Vanilla bean

Obviously we're not using booze but there's your flavoring chart

Orange/whip cream/vanilla just a thought, idk anything about the flavoring process for this lol.

 

[sns8778]

Do it bartender style like a Creamsicle martini or shot.

Whip cream vodka
Triple sec
Oj
Half and half
Vanilla bean

Obviously we're not using booze but there's your flavoring chart

Orange/whip cream/vanilla just a thought, idk anything about the flavoring process for this lol.

Ha. Joking aside, you're actually right with what you were thinking and how I was thinking of making it unique - orange cream, whip cream, and vanilla.

 

[Beau]

Like a Creamsicle flavor?

Yes indeed.

 

[sns8778]

Yes indeed.

That is definitely on my wish list personally.

I also want to do a Key Lime Pie flavor - I've always wanted a good Key Lime Pie protein and always said that if I ever made one, that was one I was going to do myself haha.

 

[Rad83]

I remember those glass bottle isopures,…at least 40 grams of protein. I liked ‘em. Kind of an acquired taste…bit of an acidic aftertaste.
Got em at my golds gyms.

 

[Rad83]

I’d like to see a mass gainer/mrp like that old mhp “up your mass” but of course with no soy protein.

(Yeah I know I could make my own in a blender, but the convenience of having the tub and scoop ready to go is nice)

 

[sns8778]

I’d like to see a mass gainer/mrp like that old mhp “up your mass” but of course with no soy protein.

(Yeah I know I could make my own in a blender, but the convenience of having the tub and scoop ready to go is nice)

I thought about a quality mass gainer.

The protein would come first, but I thought about after that something along the lines of 75 grams carbs/50 grams protein and having the carbs come from quality sources like oats, sweet potato, things like that.

Was that what you were thinking, something along those lines?

And no worries from me about soy protein - you will never see that in any of our products. I will not even allow it in the building, not even for other brands that we do warehousing and distribution for because I have an anaphylactic allergy to soy protein - like some people do to peanuts - all it would take is a container being open and me breathing it in or unknowingly touching it and it would be life threatening for me.

 

[Rad83]

I thought about a quality mass gainer.

The protein would come first, but I thought about after that something along the lines of 75 grams carbs/50 grams protein and having the carbs come from quality sources like oats, sweet potato, things like that.

Was that what you were thinking, something along those lines?

And no worries from me about soy protein - you will never see that in any of our products. I will not even allow it in the building, not even for other brands that we do warehousing and distribution for because I have an anaphylactic allergy to soy protein - like some people do to peanuts - all it would take is a container being open and me breathing it in or unknowingly touching it and it would be life threatening for me.

That’s perfect brother!!

 

[sns8778]

That’s perfect brother!!

Thank you. I'm glad that we're on the same page with that idea.

I had thought about eventually trying to offer a 1:1 ratio quality MRP - like 50 grams Whey Isolate/Micellar Casein and 50 grams of quality carbs; and then have the gainer be more along the lines of 75 carbs to 50 grams protein.

A 50 carb to 50 protein one would be absolutely perfect for me myself.

There used to be so many MRP's on the market and they've almost all gone away - but out of all of them, there never was a single one that I was actually happy with the carb sources on.

 

[ELROCK]

I would like to see Whey isolate.

 

[ndiguy]

YES!!!

Would love to see a cost effective whey offering.

A clear whey isolate would be pretty awesome, too. Knowing SNS the flavoring would be on point!

 

[TheMrMuscle]

Im all about the 50/50 Isolate/Micellar Casein myself. For flavors i love the more heavy and decadent ones. So rich chocolate, cookies and cream, snickerdoodle, cinnamon bun etc

But I never drink my shakes, i havent done that for many years. I usually make them into a paste and use them with my cream of rice or overnight oats. Or i make them into ice cream and because of that I want em to taste alot!

 

[rascal14]

I don’t care so much about the type, I always just get whey isolate to be honest.

id much prefer a non typical chocolate/vanilla setup. Everyone in the world has that combo for powder. If you could get even remotely close to Ghosts flavoring, their protein is fairly expensive but is the best tasting I’ve had. I like their flavors as well but I’ve been making some protein slop, (baby rice cereal mixed with protein) and would love
Cookie dough
Reeses type flavor
Chocolate chip
Cookies and cream (Myprotein brand tastes like cigarettes to me and my wife??) lol

 

[MrKleen73]

Protein prices are always going to vary and if you're talking 2 lb. sizes, the cost of isolate isn't hugely more than concentrate; of course the gap widens by the pound so would be more significant on 5 lb. sizes than 2 lb. ones.

I respectfully have to disagree with the taste part or at least point out that it likely just comes down to the brands that you've used and the types that they use in their products - because a good quality isolate done correctly actually tastes much better than a concentrate. Some of the low quality cheaper isolates do taste terrible, that I agree with.

I realize with doing a protein that there is going to be no pleasing everyone - and that's a problem for me, is that I do try to please everyone. But that's impossible with a protein product - and if people are just looking for the cheapest, I would suggest to everyone about being cautious about brand quality to begin with and to buy reputable brands like Optimum, NOW Foods, etc.

I can't say that we would never do a concentrate, but I can say that at no more difference than the pricing is on WPC and Isolate at the current time, that I would much rather pay slightly more, even if have to sell for slightly more and offer a top quality product to our customers. Our pricing on a Whey Isolate would be comparable - and possibly slightly cheaper than comparable products, but if the expectation is for us to offer a better product and sell at lesser price than lower quality ones, that's just not realistic.

We may at some point down the road do a WPC if it ever makes financial sense to do it and we have enough requests for it, but it's not something we'd start out with.

Agreed on most things for sure. I may have not had the isolates you are referring too, but I have had many top brand isolates. I just enjoy the creaminess of a good WPC better. Also, I don't have any digestive issues with lactose so the inclusion of them is a non issue for me.

As far as a 2lb protein powder, I don't even buy them if they are 2lbs unless on a major special, the cost doesn't make sense to me for the 2lb jugs. I almost always buy a 4-5lb jug. That being said, I am more than likely not your target market for a protein powder. I am a more bang for your buck shopper when it comes to protein. Now health products and the like, I am definitely in your target market. I don't mind paying for quality there, but for protein it doesn't have to taste the best or mix the best so long as it has the correct amount of protein in it. That being said if you do an isolate that tastes great and isn't too much more than what I already use then I will use it just to support you.

 

[MrKleen73]

Oh yeah, for a flavor, I would love to see a Birthday Cake flavor. A lot of times vanilla overtakes the flavor of a shake when adding other things to it. Birthday cake is like having a clean canvas to paint on when mixing other things in.

 

[Resolve10]

I prefer blends, but honestly for as long as I can remember right now I've just been cheapo and using Optimum Nutrition Whey so nearly anything is a boost over that.

I don't care too much to be honest, I used to be super into it, but at this point I would probably just buy whatever SNS/CEL dropped because I am not really "loyal" to any protein products right now.

I think a simple Chocolate, Vanilla and maybe some sort of Cinnamon variation to start are safe and enjoyable options. I used to consume copious amounts of Ultra Peptide so I also wouldn't mind more "fancy" flavors eventually, but also think I'd just be down for whatever.

 

[schizm]

Blueberry muffin in a WPC, WPI, caesin blend, let's gooooooo

 

[GQdaLEGEND]

surprise to hear no leamon cream flavor.. pple were googoo gagaga over XF - lemon cream when it first popped out in the scene

 

[thatsuppguy]

Wow, this would be great!
I would love to see a blend. 50/50 works or something close so its on the thick side.
Flavors.... I would try for 4, 3 basic and 1 exotic. Chocolate, Birthday Cake (basically vanilla anyway), Chocolate PB and then like a lemon cream pie or orange sherbet.
After you see how it sells, expand from there. To be honest vegan is a niche and I see a lot of people that started out with it going back to regular whey, iso or blend.
Just my 2 cents. Would just be happy to see it happen so i dont have to use any other brands. ha!

 

[sns8778]

I don’t care so much about the type, I always just get whey isolate to be honest.

id much prefer a non typical chocolate/vanilla setup. Everyone in the world has that combo for powder. If you could get even remotely close to Ghosts flavoring, their protein is fairly expensive but is the best tasting I’ve had. I like their flavors as well but I’ve been making some protein slop, (baby rice cereal mixed with protein) and would love
Cookie dough
Reeses type flavor
Chocolate chip
Cookies and cream (Myprotein brand tastes like cigarettes to me and my wife??) lol

I always use a whey isolate or a whey isolate/micellar casein myself. I always do whey isolate post workout, but the other shakes of the day I don't care one way or the other between isolate and an isolate/micellar casein combination, its usually more whatever flavor I'm in the mood for at the time.

I agree that Chocolate and Vanilla are basic and could be considered boring, but they are must's because they are the big sellers. No matter how many cool flavors a brand has, Chocolate and Vanilla are going to be the top 2 sellers. Not doing those would be product suicide right off the bat - BUT I am trying to think of some ideas to make them at least kind of cool. For example, most here probably don't remember when Scitec was a US company, but they made a product called Protein Delight and their chocolate had sugar free chocolate chips in it. It was years ahead of its time - it was like gourmet protein back in the days when all protein still tasted bad.

I have honestly not used many of the Ghost flavors. That is one brand that I made a note of wanting to try more of as part of the research for this project - but whey concentrate bothers my stomach in general and some of their flavors I believe may have gluten in them, which I'm allergic to.

Thank you for the flavor ideas. I had a cookie dough flavor, chocolate chip cookie flavor, and cookies & cream flavor on my list - and if we do them, we would do them as gluten free. I know that doesn't apply to the majority here on AM, but its important to me because I know what its like to live with a gluten allergy.

 

[sns8778]

Agreed on most things for sure. I may have not had the isolates you are referring too, but I have had many top brand isolates. I just enjoy the creaminess of a good WPC better. Also, I don't have any digestive issues with lactose so the inclusion of them is a non issue for me.

As far as a 2lb protein powder, I don't even buy them if they are 2lbs unless on a major special, the cost doesn't make sense to me for the 2lb jugs. I almost always buy a 4-5lb jug. That being said, I am more than likely not your target market for a protein powder. I am a more bang for your buck shopper when it comes to protein. Now health products and the like, I am definitely in your target market. I don't mind paying for quality there, but for protein it doesn't have to taste the best or mix the best so long as it has the correct amount of protein in it. That being said if you do an isolate that tastes great and isn't too much more than what I already use then I will use it just to support you.

A lot of the top brand isolates, no disrespect to them, don't use the top grade isolate because they're trying to keep costs down. Just an example, Ketogenics IsoWhey contains a premium whey isolate and their flavors are awesome.

I can't drink whey concentrate myself, but I have no issues with lactose. That's a common misconception - that all of the digestive issues related to concentrate come from lactose, but that's not the case. I can eat the heck out of cheese, eat ice cream, drink milk - but more than a small amount of whey concentrate and I'm bloated and stomach is bothering me.

Everyone is definitely different - when I was younger, I went with more the bulk sizes. Now days, I drink so much protein that I'm glad to pay a little more to have 2 different flavors in 2 lb. sizes rather than a 4 lb'r just to make sure I have some variety and don't get tired of the taste.

And thank you. If we do one, we will sell it at a good price. It may be a little more than concentrate because we would be doing an isolate, but we would make it as close as we possibly could. And eventually, I would hope to do larger sizes on the basic flavors - but in the beginning, I'd be more likely to offer multi-bottle discounts than start off with big sizes.

 

[sns8778]

I prefer blends, but honestly for as long as I can remember right now I've just been cheapo and using Optimum Nutrition Whey so nearly anything is a boost over that.

I don't care too much to be honest, I used to be super into it, but at this point I would probably just buy whatever SNS/CEL dropped because I am not really "loyal" to any protein products right now.

I think a simple Chocolate, Vanilla and maybe some sort of Cinnamon variation to start are safe and enjoyable options. I used to consume copious amounts of Ultra Peptide so I also wouldn't mind more "fancy" flavors eventually, but also think I'd just be down for whatever.

Thank you so much. I really do appreciate that.

Brand loyalty is something that is hard to come by in today's world, but it really is something important to us and something that we try to earn by providing top quality products at great prices.

I used to like Ultra Peptide myself - I loved the Lemon Cream Pie one. I honestly don't really remember exactly how it tasted now though.

I think that Chocolate and Vanilla are definite ones as far as starting flavors, and then I'd like to add a couple more to it. I love cinnamon flavors myself - yesterday, I drank several shakes where I did one scoop chocolate and one scoop cinnamon roll flavors together.

 

[sns8778]

Blueberry muffin in a WPC, WPI, caesin blend, let's gooooooo

Thank you for the feedback.

I love Ketogenics Blueberry Muffin flavor myself. Blueberry Muffin flavor is one that I'm definitely open to doing if enough people are interested.

 

[offredjo]

@sns8778 Hi Steve, when it comes to protein powder there is one thing I’m not understanding. Some companies will go out of their way to label their protein “Cold-filtered Cross-Flow Quadrafiltration Whey Protein Isolate” or Triple cold-filtered whey isolate” which apparently undergoes sensitive nano-filtration. Most recently I’ve been seeing a lot of labels stating they are using “Provon® 292 SFL Protein” which undergoes a low-temperature cross-flow microfiltration process. I usually buy these proteins and stay away from ones that just list either Whey Isolate or Whey Concentrate even if it is 85% Whey Concentrate because I just assume they are using “Ion exchange” protein. As they saying goes, if you got it flaunt it….so why aren’t more companies telling us if their protein is some some sort of cold processed microfiltered protein? It makes me wonder if their quality is really what they say it is.
If you come out with a protein powder will it consist of some sort of cold processed microfiltered protein?

 

[sns8778]

@sns8778 Hi Steve, when it comes to protein powder there is one thing I’m not understanding. Some companies will go out of their way to label their protein “Cold-filtered Cross-Flow Quadrafiltration Whey Protein Isolate” or Triple cold-filtered whey isolate” which apparently undergoes sensitive nano-filtration. Most recently I’ve been seeing a lot of labels stating they are using “Provon® 292 SFL Protein” which undergoes a low-temperature cross-flow microfiltration process. I usually buy these proteins and stay away from ones that just list either Whey Isolate or Whey Concentrate even if it is 85% Whey Concentrate because I just assume they are using “Ion exchange” protein. As they saying goes, if you got it flaunt it….so why aren’t more companies telling us if their protein is some some sort of cold processed microfiltered protein? It makes me wonder if their quality is really what they say it is.
If you come out with a protein powder will it consist of some sort of cold processed microfiltered protein?

There's a lot more to the subject you're asking about than appears at first glance.

First, let me answer your question as pertains to what we would use - yes, we would use a premium whey isolate like the ones that you're referring to.

Now, to answer specific things you asked about:

As they saying goes, if you got it flaunt it….so why aren’t more companies telling us if their protein is some some sort of cold processed microfiltered protein?

There is a simple reason for that - with the supply chain shortages and pricing insanity back during Covid, whey protein prices were through the roof and also at times certain types weren't available. As a brand, many would rather list it in overview terms because if they got super specific as to type, and then that type wasn't available, then what? They would be put in a position where they'd have to change labels, have retailers change listings, answer a zillion customer questions, have people accuse them of lessening their quality, etc. - when the reality may be that they were just trying to keep their product in stock.

I saw a lot of brands during Covid claim to be using ingredients that weren't available for long periods of time, whereas brands like NOW Foods, and even us - were out of products for a prolonged period because we simply weren't going to lie and use something other than what the label said.

It makes me wonder if their quality is really what they say it is.

I can see what that would make you question it - but on the reverse side, I actually question the brands more that were claiming it was a certain type and then they were miraculously selling it at the same price as always even when everyone else had to go up for a time. On my side, I actually questioned some of that more - as in feel like a lot of brands were just putting it on their labels but going with whatever was available.

Most recently I’ve been seeing a lot of labels stating they are using “Provon® 292 SFL Protein”

Provon is a branded ingredient form of protein from Glanbia. A brand can use that as their protein source without specifying on the label that that's the type that they are using. Why would a brand not want to specify? In the case of why would brands use branded ingredients and not want to flaunt it, 99% of the time it would never make sense - in this case it does, for two reasons:
1) Glanbia/Optimum Nutrition connection
2) If you stated Provon on the label and Glanbia ran out for 6 months, as a brand you're screwed. However, if you just state the technical protein type, you can try to source the exact same type or as close as possible from another vendor.

I hope that all makes sense.

 

[sns8778]

surprise to hear no leamon cream flavor.. pple were googoo gagaga over XF - lemon cream when it first popped out in the scene

I loved XF's Ultra Peptide Lemon Cream. I remember talking to him about it a lot and was a big fan. I wish I could remember exactly what it tasted like.

On my personal flavor wish list, I do have Lemon Cream Pie or Lemon Meringue Pie listed, along with a Key Lime Pie flavor.

 

[lionking999]

not going to lie I didn’t read the whole thread. just came to throw my pennies.

I have tried alllll kinds of whey out there and over and over again I find myself going back to optimum nutrition’s gold standard 10lb bags. the mixability is what I like. no foam. no wait. mix it and down it.

 

[sns8778]

Wow, this would be great!
I would love to see a blend. 50/50 works or something close so its on the thick side.
Flavors.... I would try for 4, 3 basic and 1 exotic. Chocolate, Birthday Cake (basically vanilla anyway), Chocolate PB and then like a lemon cream pie or orange sherbet.
After you see how it sells, expand from there. To be honest vegan is a niche and I see a lot of people that started out with it going back to regular whey, iso or blend.
Just my 2 cents. Would just be happy to see it happen so i dont have to use any other brands. ha!

Thank you and thank you for the suggestions.

I have a Creamsicle flavor down, and I was thinking a Rainbow Sherbet may be cool.

And thank you, I really appreciate that - brand loyalty and us giving this option to our customers is a big part of why I am wanting to offer a protein.