SUPPLEMENTS
BY PEDRO VAN GAALEN, MANAGING EDITOR
W
HEY PROTEIN IS,
WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE
MOST COMPETITIVE
PRODUCT CATEGORY IN
THE SUPPLEMENT MARKET. THAT
MEANS MARGINS ARE TIGHT AS
MANUFACTURERS COMPETE ON
PRICE, AND ON PROTEIN
CONTENT AND QUALITY.
Consumers therefore tend to fall into one of
two categories – those who are willing to pay
a premium for products that offer the best
quality whey protein with the highest protein
content, and the price-sensitive consumer
who is willing to sacrifice a bit in terms of
quality to afford this supplement staple.
According to Gareth Powell, Technical
Manager for Ascendis Sports Nutrition,
whey is and always will be a cornerstone in
the fitness industry. “It is such a versatile
product that practically any consumer can
make use of it, irrespective of their goal.”
WHEY
FLAVOUR
REVOLUTION
FRONTLINE BATTLEGROUND
However, a new frontier in the battle for the
hearts and minds (and share of pocket) of
supplement consumers has emerged, with
manufacturers introducing major innovations
in product flavours as a new way to capture
market share and gain a market-leading
position in what is generally considered the
“gateway” product to all other supplements.
“South Africa has caught up to and, in
some cases, is now leading the international
sports nutrition market, offering a wide range
of supplements as an everyday lifestyle
alternative,” continues Gareth. “With regard to
whey, this is predominantly in the form of new
flavour variants, which is creating a dynamic that
keeps retailers and consumers
interested. This ultimately
ensures that brands are spending
money on innovation to push the
boundaries on product quality and
the organoleptic properties of the
“SOUTH AFRICA HAS
CAUGHT UP TO AND, IN SOME
CASES, IS NOW LEADING
THE INTERNATIONAL SPORTS
NUTRITION MARKET.”
products they manufacture.”
This view is echoed by Matthew
Haldenby, founder of Titan
Nutraceutical Technologies (TNT),
which manufacturers the TNT
Mercury 100% Prime Whey range,
who says the highly competitive local
whey market now offers consumer a seemingly
infinite variety of flavours.
“To maintain our unique position as a brand
we reviewed consumer buying trends and
identified a pattern in taste preference that
reflected a higher purchase frequency directed
towards dessert flavours. With this is mind,
we opted to not go for the generic options
available to us locally, preferring rather to look
at the leading international flavouring houses to
fuse certain flavours. The end result was three
delicious dessert variants sourced from Holland
that we are proud to put our name to, in the form
of Cream Toffee, Vanilla Caramel and Chocnut
Flavour options have helped grow the market by creating broader appeal to attract
people such as business professionals, housewives, young moms and active retirees.
52
Muscle Evolution
Gareth Powell, Technical Manager for Ascendis Sports Nutrition
Butter whey options,” explains Matthew.
And while it is traditional bodybuilders, and
sport, and health and fitness lifestyle consumers
that form the core of the supplement industry,
Gareth suggests that innovations like these have
helped grow the market by creating broader
appeal to attract people such as business
professionals, housewives, young moms and
active retirees.
“Take this market shift into account, and
add in an easier to reach global supply chain
of flavour houses, a better quality of base raw
materials, and enhanced technology around
the blending process, and supplement brands,
irrespective of their size, are now offering
a broader range of gourmet, food-identical
flavours, which appeals to a broad spectrum
of consumers.”