It is not just “gym bros” that India’s largest FMCG brand, Amul is looking to tap for its ever expanding portfolio of protein-products. The marquee dairy brand is eyeing a much wider consumer base as it targets a five-fold growth in its protein-production capacity.
Armed with daily production of three million litres of whey protein, Amul is not only sponsoring nine of the 10 cricket teams participating in the ongoing 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but is also looking to use the domestic cricketing platform to push its concept of “consumption of one gram protein per kilogram of bodyweight, daily” to Indians.
“Protein is turning out to be a huge portfolio,” said Jayen Mehta, Managing Director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). “We are largely D2C (direct-to-consumer) in this space and so we sell our whey protein (products) directly to the consumers from our amul shop or mobile application or web portal. This gives us a very good understanding of where whey is being consumed and who are the protein consumers … We are increasing our capacity five times. When I have three million litres of whey it gives me the opportunity to convert all that whey into value added products,” Mehta said during an interaction with businessline.
Last week the dairy brand launched “Protein Kulfi” at a formal event in Kolkata which took its protein-product portfolio to 15.
Betting big on IPL
Amul, a brand owned by GCMMF — an umbrella body of milk cooperative unions in Gujarat — is India’s largest producer of Cheese and Paneer (cottage cheese) and is aiming to repurpose the protein-rich byproduct from its dairy production for the masses in India. It is currently tapping the ongoing IPL cricket tournament to push its protein products. Apart from Sunrisers Hyderabad, Amul has partnered with all the nine IPL teams for promoting its protein products. It has also tied up with six IPL teams to feature its ice-creams and 3 teams for Kool beverages.
“We are pushing the concept of consuming protein by creating category awareness and products to make people try. We have 15 products in the protein-portfolio, offering between 10 grams and 35 grams of protein per serving, in our high-protein milk per 250 ml packet. As the largest manufacturer of cheese and paneer in the country, we have access to a lot of whey, one of the best sources of protein. We have now identified the technology to make different products from this fresh whey. These value-for-money products are tasty and fit with our daily food habits. If each one of us consumes one gram of whey per kilogram of body weight, it is a huge market opportunity which only Amul as the largest domestic player can capture,” Mehta explained.
Without disclosing the current sales of protein products or the targeted protein-production, the GCMMF official explained the huge market opportunity that whey presents for the Amul brand. “In the last couple of years we have developed a big range of protein products which includes high-protein lassi, buttermilk, dahi, ice-cream, kulfi, milk shakes and whey protein concentrate,” Mehta said.
Speaking about the marketing push undertaken through the domestic cricketing platform, IPL, he said, “We are getting huge traction among customers. We are also creating a lot of digital content, running contests online, and managing conversations. It is a full 360 degree activation. We are getting 20-30 million likes per video or content which we have created with each team. We also get a chance to sell ice-creams and beverages and protein products inside the stadium. So it is a full engagement comprising digital, television and online ecommerce.”
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Published on April 28, 2025