Dairy-based functional food specialist, Arla Foods Ingredients, has signed a contract manufacturing agreement for its whey protein ingredient range —Nutrilac ProteinBoost — with Valley Queen.
By partnering with Valley Queen, Arla Foods Ingredients aims to meet the growing demand for high-protein dairy solutions within the US market.
The dairy processor, who is based in South Dakota, will produce Arla's Nutrilac ProteinBoost product range, which includes the company's patented microparticulate whey protein concentrate.
According to Arla, the solution has been designed to increase protein levels in food and beverages, while also retaining a pleasant texture and taste.
Currently, Valley Queen produces 1.36 billion kg of milk and 150 million kg of cheese annually.
To effectively produce Arla's Nutrilac ProteinBoost range, Valley Queen will install new speciality equipment at its Millbank, South Dakota plant, which is likely to be operational by Winter of 2025/early 2026.
“The demand for protein-enriched dairy products continues to grow in the US, so we're looking to meet it with our North American growth plan," noted Luis Cubel, Group Vice President and Managing Director of Arla Foods Ingredients.
"We're achieving this by increasing our capacity for the production of Nutrilac ProteinBoost. We chose to work with Valley Queen because the company has a long heritage of producing high quality dairy and whey products, and we wanted to choose a partner with the right values, history and expertise."
“Nutrilac ProteinBoost is a highly innovative ingredient, which offers the perfect way to create appealing dairy products enriched with high-quality protein," added Doug Wilke, CEO of Valley Queen.
"We hope that this is the start of a long and productive partnership with Arla Foods Ingredients in the whey nutrition space."