Industry Odisha Bureau, Sep 21: Protein demand is moving from gyms to everyday food. Café chains are launching protein drinks, even as whey prices surge. The India protein market keeps expanding.
India’s protein boom is moving beyond gym supplements into everyday food. Chaayos, Tim Hortons India and Tata Starbucks have launched protein-linked drinks. Whey protein prices have reportedly risen four-fold amid a global shortage. Companies are still expanding, investing and buying.
Cafés bet on everyday protein
Chaayos has partnered with Wholsum Foods. It launched teas using Wholsum’s Mille protein brand. Tim Hortons India has teamed up with Amul on protein coffees. Tata Starbucks has partnered with SuperYou on protein cold foam. The formulations are not necessarily identical.
Chaayos cofounder Nitin Saluja described early demand for Mille as encouraging. Cafés give protein brands access to existing customer traffic. That does not guarantee adoption.
Whey price surge tests the boom
The report describes a four-fold rise in whey protein prices. Global supply disruptions have contributed to the increase. Demand is nonetheless expanding despite the input-cost pressure. Not every protein product faces identical cost pressures. Higher whey costs create tension between demand growth and product economics. Future price movements remain uncertain.
Market expands beyond supplements
IMARC valued India’s protein market near ₹15,300 crore in 2025. It projects the market could reach ₹21,000 crore by 2031. That is a forecast, not a certainty.
Protein was once largely a gym supplement. Kannan Sitaram of Fireside Ventures says it is now a daily habit. He also links some demand to growing GLP-1 medicine usage. That is his interpretation. Consumers now find protein in tea, coffee, snacks and yoghurt.
Manufacturers add capacity
Parag Milk Foods entered protein snacking this month. Milky Mist commissioned a ₹40-crore plant in Tamil Nadu. The facility will make Skyr and Greek yoghurt. Chief executive K Rathnam calls high-protein nutrition “increasingly mainstream.” New capacity suggests companies expect continued demand. Investment plans do not guarantee market growth.
Protein deals draw corporate interest
USV acquired a 79% stake in Wellbeing Nutrition in February. The all-cash deal was valued at ₹1,583 crore. Hindustan Unilever exited its investment in the company. HUL also completed its acquisition of Oziva, a plant-based wellness brand. Marico has acquired plant-based protein wellness label Cosmix.
A private-equity executive said at least four digital-first protein deals are under way. The executive spoke anonymously. These deals show strategic interest, not sector-wide consolidation. Motives may differ across transactions.
Investors follow consumer demand
Arboreal Bioinnovations raised ₹230 crore. EAAA Alternatives and Omnivore co-led the round. Pune-based Provilac raised $14 million from Panthera Growth Partners. Both rounds point to investor interest in protein and ingredients.
From supplements to daily consumption
Protein is entering products Indians already buy every day. Café chains, dairy makers and acquirers are all responding. Investors are backing startups across the category. Higher whey costs remain an important constraint. Demand and investment are rising together. How companies manage input costs will matter.
