The change means 95 per cent of the casein protein brand sales are now derived from the powdered protein market compared to five per cent for ready to drink products that had been an initial point of focus when the brand was launched at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
PeptoPro global business manager Wouter Nieboer said PeptoPro products were gaining support at a word of mouth level, especially through internet forums and commercial sites, in many of the 35 countries where the products are available.
“What we came to realise is this is suitable for the high-end protein market because of its functionality and price,” Nieboer said.
“So we are after that rung of people that lies below elite sports people – the sports enthusiasts like gym warriors and regular tennis players, mountain climbers and mountain bikers – they are the ones that have been reporting the benefits of PeptoPro on these websites and that is why the products are selling without us doing that much marketing-wise.”
Taste
The feedback has also highlighted a problem for the brand – taste. Reading the feedback on a website like www.MyProtein.co.uk it becomes clear many users like what the product does but not how it tastes.
The reaction was so strong that MyProtein took it upon itself to make a berry variety of its branded version of PeptoPro to ease the palatability concerns.
Dutch company XXLNutrition formulated a tropical blend to achieve the same result and now DSM has gone back to the lab and developed its own berry formula that it will showcase at the Health Ingredients Europe trade show in Madrid in November.
MyProtein receives about 10,000 unique visitors per day and has something like 150,000 registered consumers.
PeptoPro powder is a formulation of di and tri-peptides - a casein hydrolysate that helps increase endurance and recovery after intense training.
It works by promoting the transport of sugars into muscle tissue and stimulates the synthesis of muscle protein after heavy exercise.
The company has submitted a health claim to European Union process but is yet to have it reviewed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).