by Motheo Tlhagale
Proteinisation- Shaking up the food and beverage industry
Protein fortification has become one of the most impactful trends in modern packaged goods as it enhances the nutritional value of foods to support muscle health and weight management. What was once a macronutrient sourced primarily from whole foods has evolved into a prominent signal of health across the supermarket aisle.
While the cost of fortification is relatively low, perceived consumer value continues to rise, helping brands expand and protect margins in highly-competitive categories. That incentive has driven protein claims into snacks, cereals, coffees and ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages that historically had little to do with "performance nutrition".
The consumer appeal for the protein mass-market goes beyond muscle health. Protein promotes satiety more effectively than carbohydrates or fats, through gut-brain hormone signalling, slower gastric emptying and a higher thermic cost of digestion. These factors support appetite control and weight control, when protein is prioritised as part of a balanced diet.
Whey(ing) the Protein Market
The whey protein category continues to expand as protein-led diets, beyond meat sources, have become more mainstream. Once associated primarily with performance athletes, whey is now widely consumed across lifestyle, weight-management, and healthy-ageing segments. Between 2019 and 2024, the broader protein supplements market grew at roughly 8% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR), supported by rising health awareness, wider global distribution, and a sustained shift toward nutrition-first eating habits. According to a report from Grand View Research, the South Africa whey protein market size was estimated at USD37.1 million in 2024 and is projected to reach USD63.4 million in 2033, growing at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2025 to 2033.
Within the segment, whey protein isolate (WPI) retains a premium position due to its high protein concentration, typically around 95%, and low lactose and fat content, making it attractive for lean muscle goals and lactose-sensitive users. Whey protein concentrate (WPC) is the more affordable, versatile and high-volume format, widely used across sports nutrition and functional food applications. Plant-based options, as well as novel alternatives like fungi, pea and insect-based protein, have gained traction, but they have largely complemented rather than displaced whey protein. This is mostly due to higher processing costs associated with complex manufacturing processes, lower protein density, ingredient quality specifications and broader input costs of alternatives.
Despite the growth in these market inclusive technologies, WPC remains a dominant, more affordable, high-volume format. Intensifying competition has driven innovation in higher-purity, lower-carbohydrate formulations at competitive price points, steadily lifting quality benchmarks across the category. Locally, WPC led the South Africa whey protein market with the largest share of 36.8% in 2024, while WPI are anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2025 to 2033.
Pricing dynamics
Whey price volatility is a defining feature of the powered protein mass-market, reflecting its sensitivity to dairy-cycle dynamics. Prices have surged due to tight supply, strong demand, and fluctuating input costs, underscoring how raw material swings directly affect performance nutrition margins. With prices still above historical norms, the industry must respond with disciplined pricing strategies, cost efficiency, and portfolio optimisation.
Because whey is a co-product of cheese, supply expands and contracts with cheesemaking cycles, and not with protein demand per se. Most value is created midstream, where raw whey is processed into isolates, hydrolysates, and bioactive fractions. These energy-intensive steps require technical expertise. Companies with this capability earn premium margins by delivering consistent quality, purity, and taste. Downstream, branded product companies capture value through consumer perception but face high marketing costs, while contract manufacturers that focus on blending and packaging operate on thinner margins as capacity providers rather than brand owners.
Competitive landscape
The global sports nutrition market, valued at ~$31 billion in 2024, has experienced rapid growth (>90% in the last decade) but remains highly fragmented. The sector is characterised by a mix of multinational corporations like Abbott Laboratories, PepsiCo Inc, and Herbalife, as well as fewer niche players focused on specific trends who achieved meaningful international scale. By product type, protein powders retained the largest share of ~50%.
Glanbia (GLB LN) holds a leading position specifically in the protein segment, commanding a mid-teens market share through its Optimum Nutrition and Isopure brands— roughly twice the share of its nearest competitor. Its global footprint is underpinned by a balanced route-to-market strategy spanning brick-and-mortar retail, e-commerce, and distributor networks. Optimum Nutrition's leadership across 21 markets reflects the benefits of sustained brand building, consistent product quality, and extensive distribution reach.
In the United States (US), BellRing Brands (BRBR US) is a leader in the ready-to-drink (RTD) protein shake segment with their Premier Protein and Dymatize brands, commanding 20% household market share (up from 11% in 2019). The company is pursuing accelerated growth through broader retail distribution, increased brand investment, and innovation designed to drive consumer adoption.
Some of the key players in the South Africa whey protein market is Arla Foods; Saputo Inc.; Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd; Olam International Ltd; Carbery Group; Agri-Mark, Inc.; Agropur, Inc.; The Milky Whey, Inc.; Fairway Dairy & Ingredients.
[Enter] The Creatine Market
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound made from amino acids used for energy production in skeletal muscle and brain tissue and works synergistically with protein which builds, repairs and maintains muscle mass. The creatine category has evolved from a niche performance supplement into a fast-growing global segment, expanding from roughly $200 million to over $1.1 billion over the past six years as usage broadened beyond strength and recovery to include energy, cognitive support, and general wellness. This growth has elevated creatine's strategic importance across the industry. Recently, Glanbia has increased its emphasis on creatine across both Performance Nutrition and Health & Nutrition, including RTD applications enabled by its patented CreaBev stabilisation technology. Applied Nutrition (APN LN) has also expanded its presence through "Creaflow," a liquid creatine monohydrate targeting demand for convenient, pre-mixed formats.
On the supply side, the market reflects a clear dual structure. AlzChem Group (ACT XTRA) remains the premium benchmark through its Creapure brand, manufactured in Germany using proprietary processes focused on purity and safety. The group's specialty chemicals segment remains the main revenue driver, at about 66% (see graph below). The company makes up ~26% of total global creatine monohydrate supply. At the same time, privately-held Chinese producers, including Inner Mongolia Yongan and Shanghai Baosui, accounts for roughly 70% of global creatine output, leveraging scale and cost advantages to serve both international brands and private-label channels. This bifurcated structure supports simultaneous expansion into premium, clinically positioned products and mass-market formulations.
Local route-to-market and channel dynamics
The commercial expansion of sports and everyday nutrition in South Africa is being shaped by three interlocking routes to market: pharmacies, e-commerce, and fitness ecosystems. Each channel plays a distinct role in discovery, education, and repeat purchasing, and together they determine how quickly protein and creatine migrate from specialist use into mainstream preventive health.
Pharmacies and drugstores
Pharmacies remain the most resilient offline channel, combining convenience, credibility, and frequent foot traffic.
The South African drug retail market, valued at R112.35 billion in 2024, is dominated by Clicks (CLS SJ) and Dis-Chem (DCP SJ), each with roughly 24% share and the remainder is fragmented across independent pharmacies. Both chains are expected to consolidate further, with combined share projected to reach 30% by 2030, driven by ongoing store expansion and 6% to 8% top-line CAGR between 2026 to 2030.
Dischem features several exclusive or heavily-partnered protein brands, with MyProtein being a major international brand available exclusively through their stores and Dis-Chem Living Fit. Other brands closely associated with and primarily found at Dis-Chem include Biogen (specifically their Pro Series and Platinum ranges), Lifestyle Food, and Primal Nutrition.
Protein brands that are exclusive to or prominently featured at Clicks include their own-brand Clicks supplements, GNC (for which Clicks holds an exclusive franchise), and women's wellness brand Gloot.
E-commerce
Online channels have become the engine that builds repeat buying in the category. Takealot serves as the primary marketplace for search, comparison, and fast delivery, concentrating reviews and rankings that guide undecided shoppers toward top-selling products. Amazon sets the benchmark for product discovery and replenishment tools are well suited to staples like protein and creatine, where usage is ongoing and dosage is predictable.
Brand-owned direct-to-consumer websites complement these marketplaces by offering education-led journeys, bundle builders, and subscription options that enhance visibility into customer lifetime value.
Gyms and fitness ecosystems
Fitness environments, such as Virgin Active and Planet Fitness gyms, serve as high-intent conversion zones, where education, product sampling, and real performance context come together. For nutrition brands, these platforms offer national scale for brand activation, and trainer-led micro-clinics that turn product claims into practical routines and repeat purchase.
Loyalty integrations between gyms and retail partners help close the loop from trial to repeat purchase, for example, earning gym-based rewards that can be redeemed at Clicks, Dis-Chem, or online.
Quick-service restaurants, cafes, and health-focused eateries are also incorporating protein-enriched products into menus, catering to demand for functional, performance-oriented nutrition.
Outlook
The market faces several risks, including regulation, competitive pressures and cost volatility. Regulatory scrutiny is increasing across claims, safety and novel formats, particularly where products drift into quasi medical positioning. Quality lapses can also have outsized reputational impact in categories associated with purity, while input cost volatility (dairy, energy and chemical intermediates) can compress margins without hedging or pricing power. Finally, the category is competitive, with low formulation barriers at the brand level—making distribution, trust and consistency the real defensible assets.
Despite these challenges, the long-term demand outlook remains well-supported by robust demographic trends and the medical tailwind from increased GLP-1 dependence. The ageing global population creates a permanent, non-cyclical demand vector, especially as clinical studies continue to reveal that adequate protein intake and creatine supplementation, particularly when paired with resistance training, confer anti sarcopenic (loss of skeletal muscle mass) benefits in older adults. While sarcopenia is primarily due to aging, it is also a documented side effect of GIP/GLP-1 weight loss therapies such as Wegovy and Mounjaro. According to Harvard Health studies, high-speed weight loss with GLP-1 medications can increase the loss of lean tissue by between 25% to 40% (compared to 20% to 30%) without intervention. The rapid adoption of these and similar blockbuster drugs is opening a durable, medically-driven sales channel for protein and creatine that is expected to persist for decades.
Value creation in this sector is set to diverge. Cost leaders will compete in commodity segments through scale and manufacturing efficiency, while quality specialists will defend premium positions with scientific validation, pharmaceutical-grade purity, and targeted formulations for medical or lifestyle needs. The companies most likely to succeed will be those that evolve their brand from niche performance to lifespan extension, executing with the rigor demanded by a market increasingly at the intersection of food and medicine.
Disclaimer: The information contained herein are for the purposes of general guidance on matters of interest and is not intended to be legal, tax, or financial advice. All information and rates mentioned are current at the date of publication.
