Strive Freemilk | Progressive Grocer

A partnership between family-owned Strive Nutrition Corp. and precision fermentation leader Perfect Day Inc. has led to the creation of a line of milk alternatives enriched with Perfect Day’s animal-free whey protein. Due to hit stores in July, the line aims to provide the taste and nutrition of cow’s milk without what the companies refer to as “the many health and environmental downsides of conventional dairy.” The lead product, Strive Freemilk Whole, which whips, foams, blends, cooks and tastes like cow’s milk is free of lactose, hormones, antibiotics and cholesterol, with 25% more protein, 75% less sugar, and less saturated fat than regular whole cow’s milk. The 100% animal-free line  will also consist of Freemilk Chocolate, with less sugar and more protein than regular chocolate dairy milk, and Strive Oat and Strive Almond, both enriched with 10 grams of Perfect Day animal-free whey protein per serving – more than three times the level of protein found in the leading oat milk brand and 10 times more than the leading almond milk, according to the companies. Further, unlike oat and almond proteins, Perfect Day provides a “complete” protein with all nine essential amino acids. The protein production process is not only free of any animal inputs, it also reduces water use by up to 99%, emits up to 97% fewer greenhouse-gas emissions, and uses up to 60% less nonrenewable energy compared with conventional production methods. Perfect Day has been recognized as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is kosher certified. Later this year, Strive plans to introduce protein shakes and sports hydration protein beverages. The suggested retail price is $4-$5 per 32-ounce Tetra carton, with a variety of introductory specials also planned.