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the Joshua Schall Audio ExperienceAuthor: Joshua Schall
Welcome to the Joshua Schall Audio Experience On my podcast, youll hear episodes of my popular short-form Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) news segment "Consumed", a long-form CPG entrepreneurship interview segment "Formula For:", deeper dive segments "Deep Dish CPG", public speaking engagements, and any of my new and current thoughts that I record specifically for this audio experience! Leave a review on iTunes and let me know what you think! Language: en Genres: Business Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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"White Gold" Economy: Secret Link Between Cottage Cheese & Protein Soda
Thursday, 19 February, 2026
For the last 15+ years, I’ve heard this “running joke” inside the supplement industry that sports nutrition brands should never shame “pizza eaters,” as elevated cheese consumption is extremely important for strong whey protein production. But as refreshing clear whey protein (like protein soda) grows in popularity, it might be time for an updated inside joke pertaining to a once “sad staple of 1970s diet culture.” So, how is the cottage cheese renaissance reshaping whey protein production? For decades, cottage cheese was a lumpy, uninspired side dish (usually served on a lettuce leaf). However, in the 2020s, a perfect storm of viral social media trends, a global obsession with protein, and advancements in food technology have transformed this humble dairy product into a powerhouse of the "high protein era." Additionally, as GLP-1 medications become mainstream, millions of users are seeking high-protein, low-volume foods to maintain muscle mass while their appetite is suppressed…with cottage cheese emerging as an ideal solution. As a result, U.S. retail sales of cottage cheese have surged annually between the high-teens and low-20s percent in each of the last few years. But maybe more importantly for the bulk of my audience, growth in cottage cheese consumption is doing more than just clearing grocery store shelves…it’s fundamentally altering the economics of whey protein production. And that's because it typically takes roughly 3 to 4 pounds of milk to produce just 1 pound of cottage cheese. So, this essentially means for every tub of cottage cheese sold, a massive volume of liquid whey is generated. And if you’re slightly familiar with whey protein supply and demand dynamics currently, all that extra liquid whey byproduct sounds great. But what dairy companies call "acid whey" is produced during cottage cheese manufacturing, which has historically been a liability…as “acid whey” is harder to process and was often sold as cheap animal feed or spread on fields as fertilizer. In the past, the high acidity of cottage cheese whey made it difficult to dry into the powders used in protein shakes. However, modern processing now allows companies to neutralize and "upcycle" this acid whey. Moreover, by using the natural acidity of the whey…this byproduct is now being turned into refreshing fruit-like flavored “clear whey” protein isolate powders and protein-fortified waters (and soda), both of which have become increasingly popular in the last several years. Consequently, in some cases, the whey byproduct is becoming more valuable than the cheese itself. But here’s maybe the best news…I don’t believe this cottage cheese trend is just a passing social media fad. And as long as the global appetite for protein remains high, cottage cheese will remain a cornerstone of the dairy industry…not just for what is in the tub, but for the "white gold" liquid that used to be thrown away. Accordingly, by driving up the demand for curds, consumers will continue inadvertently funding the infrastructure needed to perfect the extraction of acid whey, which hopefully could help whey protein commodity pricing that has basically tripled in recent years.
