Whey to improve health

Helping to build and maintain the immune system and the body’s general defence against the negative elements of city life – such as bad food, pollution and a stressful lifestyle – whey protein might just be the answer to many a Hongkonger’s ills. After seeing the benefits of consuming grass-fed, cold-processed whey protein on her family – including better sleep and greater resistance to colds and flu – Protelicious Managing Director and Co-founder Sheila Partrat felt many others would be keen to reap the same health benefits.

The entrepreneur discovered the advantages of incorporating whey protein into her diet after bumping into an old friend who had imported quality whey from Australia into Hong Kong, and then sold it in gyms. When he could not keep the business on, she took over. “The taste is what initially blew me away, but then the quality of sleep, my skin, hair and nails … everything just worked better,” recalled Ms Partrat, who said the subtle benefits of incorporating good-quality whey protein into your diet can be felt in as little as two weeks.

The company’s Chief Science Officer, Jean Francois Lesgards – who has worked at the Diabetes and Obesity Center in Kentucky and the Heart Institute of Montreal – stressed that the whey must be cold-processed in order to deliver the full health benefits, as this lets the beneficial amino acids remain in good shape.

Protelicious’ cold-pressed whey comes from grass-fed cows in New Zealand, and can claim sustainability credentials as it is a by-product of cheese manufacturing. Offered in various flavours – True Cocoa, Freeze-Dried Strawberry and Sencha Green – the powder can be used as a base for shakes, chilled soups, and as the “cream” in a curry or less-guilty piña colada, said Ms Partrat, who has been based in Hong Kong since 2006. One scoop a day is enough to help users reap the health benefits, she said.

Protelicious is ploughing new territory within the protein-powder industry by being marketed as a lifestyle product to be enjoyed in the home rather than aimed at gym-goers keen to bulk up on muscle. It’s a move that paid off, as the company doubled its turnover last year, with a 40% to 50% return rate, the entrepreneur said. It also supplies Pure Yoga for its unflavoured whey line, All the Whey, she added.

Ms Partrat said the company’s current focus is on the United States market, where it will launch in the fourth quarter of this year. Protelicious will be available through Amazon US, while American consumers can also purchase the product through its own website and a global delivery platform from the US.

On the regional front, Ms Partrat is partnering with health and wellness services provider Total Loyalty Company (TLC), which specialises in designing and implementing customised staff engagement and well-being programmes for its portfolio of blue-chip clients. “We support TLC in their mission to bring better health and a greater sense of well-being to the workplace by partnering with them at various events they run, giving educational talks, or even providing a ‘30-day health challenge’ framework that we’re running in collaboration with a medical clinic and lab for quantitative testing,” said the entrepreneur.