WICHITA, KAN. – Sustainable beverage company Strive Nutrition Corp. revealed it plans to launch in July a line of milk alternatives that will feature animal-free whey protein from Perfect Day, Inc.

The company shared that its Strive FREEMILK Whole and Chocolate will serve as the lead products among the animal-free beverages, which were developed to replicate the taste and nutrition of cow’s milk.

The inclusion of Perfect Day’s animal-free whey protein, which is precision-fermented, makes Strive’s new drinks free of lactose, hormones, antibiotics and cholesterol. The company stated its FREEMILK will have 25% more protein, 75% less sugar and less saturated fat than traditional whole cow’s milk, and its chocolate flavored FREEMILK will have less sugar and more protein than traditional chocolate dairy milk.

Additionally, Strive’s upcoming Oat and Almond milks will include 10 grams of Perfect Day’s animal-free whey protein per serving. The whey protein includes nine essential amino acids. Per the company, including the whey protein gives its products three times as much protein than found in leading oat milks and 10 times more protein than leading almond milks on the market.

Strive also has plans in late 2022 to release protein shakes and sports hydration protein beverages.

"As a family-owned business that's worked extensively in the dairy industry, we are excited to partner with Perfect Day to create this line of great-tasting, animal-free, protein-enriched beverages,” said Dennis Cohlmia, co-founder of Strive Nutrition Corp. “Our priority is to develop great tasting ‘wow’ products with clean ingredient labels that deliver efficient nutrition to the consumer and are good for our planet's future generations by addressing climate change. Working with Perfect Day, our vision is to be a force in setting the future direction of dairy.”

Perfect Day shared that an ISO compliant, third-party reviewed life cycle assessment found the company’s whey protein – compared to conventional production methods – reduces blue water consumption by up to 99%, greenhouse gas emissions by up to 97% and non-renewable energy use by up to 60%.

"Strive's new product platform extends the kinder, greener impact of our animal-free protein,” said Perfect Day co-founder and CEO Ryan Pandya. “With their proven expertise in best-in-class beverages, their team has crafted products that appeal to a broad base of consumers who want a full dairy experience or to enhance the nutrition of their favorite plant-based offering. This exemplifies what we see as the sustainable future of food — when our food system offers the best of animal-free options, integrated with and alongside sustainably produced traditional products and plant-based offerings — for every kind of conscious consumer.”

When Strive’s new beverages become available in July, customers can purchase them online via the company's website. They also will be sold at some yet to be announced retail stores.

The US Food & Drug Administration has labeled Perfect Day’s product as GRAS, or Generally Recognized as Safe. The animal-free whey protein also is Kosher certified.