SternLife Places its Bets on On-Trend Sports and Health Foods

13 Jun 2017 --- SternLife has announced that it is strengthening its market position with an enhanced product portfolio, additional production capacities and packaging options. The private label supplier in the health, sport and lifestyle nutrition sector focuses on creative product concepts, such as a new high-protein bar mix.

According to SternLife Managing Director Florian Bayerlein, “We don't simply manufacture products for private labels. We see ourselves as the driver of ideas and impetus for our customers. Our market and nutritional experts know which raw materials and active ingredients are on trend, and which healthy and tasty products are currently popular with consumers. This is the basis on which we develop new concepts and implement them together with our customers.”

One such example are the protein products which cater for one of the current mega trends. Innova Market Insights has labeled this latest 2017 top trend “Body in tune.” It demonstrates: protein products have long ceased to be marketed only to athletes and people with weight problems. More and more consumers are resorting to high-protein products to boost their personal well-being. 

“For the target group of the millennials who are known for their healthy lifestyle, we have developed, for instance, protein mixes. With them, consumers can make pizzas, bread and bars themselves,” says Florian Bayerlein. “This enables drug store and supermarket private brands to open up new trendy segments and extend their customer base – particularly as the pizza and bread mixes are gluten-free and vegan, too. The high-protein bar mix is also available as a vegan option.”

SternLife has developed a special protein shake for suppliers of sports and health foods. The basic mix can be tweaked by adding various functional compounds to suit specific target groups. A mix of BCAAs, L-glutamine, vitamin C and magnesium turns it into the perfect post-workout shake for athletes. By contrast, compounds with functional plant extracts like green tea or green coffee boost the metabolism and help with weight loss. For health enthusiasts the shake can be enriched with an extra portion of super food, thereby imbuing it with a natural plus of antioxidants, vitamins and trace elements.

“The tagline 'Inspiring Nutrition' in the corporate logo underscores our aspiration to be perceived as the source of ideas for our customers. We want to inspire and develop profit-making concepts. Against this backdrop, our experts work closely with R&D specialists from our sister companies in the Stern-Wywiol Gruppe,” states Bayerlein. 

Speaking about the company’s new packaging options, SternLife spokesperson Giselle Lamberti tells NutritionInsight that “since the installation of a new packaging line at our powder blending plant we have been able to fill our powdered products in stand-up pouches as well as spiral-wound composite cans and PE tubs with a screw lid.” 

According to the company, many of its products can also be manufactured to organic standards and can be customized to suit specific diets – for instance gluten- or lactose-free options or vegan products. 

In addition to this, the company has UTZ Cocoa MB certification, and its bar production unit works exclusively with RSPO-certified palm oil, Lamberti says, adding that its “two production facilities are FSSC-certified, and the system permits comprehensive traceability of the raw materials.”

Besides sports and health foods, SternLife also develops individual solutions for food supplements as well as products for targeted clinical nutrition to cater for different clinical pictures. The dosage forms range from powders and bars over drinks and shots to capsules and tablets. 

“On 1 April we commissioned an additional production line for functional bars; this has increased our capacity for bar production enormously,” Lamberti tells NutritionInsight.