Solar Foods’ Solein air protein debuts in US with Ambrosia Collective

Solar Foods has announced that protein powder made with its Solein ingredient has reached the US through a partnership with sports nutrition and health supplement company Ambrosia Collective. The product has been introduced for test marketing and is planned to launch later this summer, marking the debut of consumer products made with Solein in the US. 

The powder is introduced under Ambrosia Collective’s brand Planta in a salted caramel cold brew flavor, and contains 20 g of protein per serving and no sugar.

“Since 2018, Ambrosia has sat on top of the market in the plant protein space with the best tasting, best mixing, most optimized amino acid plant protein on the market, not to mention a crazy assortment of flavors,” says Sean Torbati, co-founder of Ambrosia Collective. 

“To stay on top, you have to stay in touch with what is the latest and greatest. We are very proud to be working with Solar Foods to incorporate Solein into our Planta formula and to bring this innovation to consumers through Planta. It is going to be the biggest innovation in the protein space in the last decade, and we look forward to continuing this process of developing new flavors with Solein.”

The launch is a move for Solar Foods to commercialize Solein in the US, with a focus on the health and performance market. It is also the first Solein-based protein powder launch in the world, according to the company.

Godert Zijlstra, chief commercial and product officer of Solar Foods, says the company is excited about how Ambrosia Collective has incorporated Solein into its Planta product line and brought it to market at remarkable speed, demonstrating a rapid and effective integration of Solein into a finished consumer product.

“While product development timelines vary across companies, we continue to work closely with our customers to support their product development efforts to bring more Solein-powered products to consumers.”

Solein protein is created in a bioprocess that grows a single microbial strain by using air and electricity.He explains that ready-to-mix protein powders are a major subcategory in the sizable US health and performance market, with ever-growing consumer demand driven, among other things, by the health trend. 

“Protein products are shifting from boosting performance to mainstream across product categories, and they are not just for gym bags but increasingly used throughout the day to support an active lifestyle,” Zijlstra says.

Solein protein moves

Last year, Solar Foods announced it would build its Factory 02 in Selkäharju, Lappeenranta, Finland, its first industrial-scale production facility for Solein. This sustainable protein ingredient is produced “out of thin air.” 

The company explained that Solein protein is created in a bioprocess that grows a single microbial strain by using air and electricity. The resulting nutritionally rich and versatile product can replace many types of protein and can fortify foods with its iron, fiber, and B vitamins.

Last November, US-based Pothos announced it would integrate Solein into its ready-to-mix protein powders. However, the protein powders are not yet available on the market. Therefore, Solar Foods announces the new launch in partnership with Ambrosia Collective, marking Solein’s US debut.