Good Protein Is Shaking Up Plant-Based Protein
A Canadian company that puts health and happiness on equal footing.
When Edward Lalonde founded Good Protein, he started with a simple premise: making a complete protein powder that actually tastes good.
Having studied nutrition and worked as a personal trainer, he had tried plenty of protein powders and nutritional supplements. The problem was that he rarely wanted to have them a second time: they tasted bad, felt like drinking sand or only focused on a single macronutrient rather than a holistic nutritional offering.
“I wanted to make something that people would actually want to drink,” Lalonde says, so he gave himself three criteria for success: it had to taste good, have the consistency of a milkshake (for real!), and offer more than just protein.
Lalonde is an idealist in the sense that he’s always striving for the ideal version of things — he’s a tinkerer and a perfectionist, which made coming up with the right recipe a lengthy process. “It took longer than I expected,” he recalls, with a laugh. “Suppliers thought I was crazy when I would order things nobody else was asking for.”
It took two years of research, taste tests and small changes to his recipe, but, finally, Lalonde settled on a recipe for a shake that checked off every box that mattered to him. Good Protein’s All-in-One Superfood Shake is completely plant-based and made with organic and non-GMO ingredients, it’s packed with 21g of high-purity protein per serving, with a complete amino acid profile to promote muscle growth, but also – and this is the important part – all of the other essential nutrients that the human body needs to thrive: fiber, prebiotics and probiotics that contribute to gut health, a range of essential vitamins and minerals, healthy fatty acids and a ton of antioxidants. Most impressive of all, though? Lalonde managed to make Good Protein’s shakes smooth, while actually tasting good, which he’s doubled down on by releasing unexpected flavours that are familiar, because they’re based not on abstract conceptions of “vanilla”, but on the desserts that people know and love: vanilla milkshakes, chocolate brownies, those little salted caramel cubes, chocolate cookies dunked in a glass of milk, orange cream popsicles or banana marshmallows.
“It’s all about the ingredients,” Lalonde says, “we use natural flavouring for everything, so it’s a question of investing in higher quality ingredients and actually testing them in different combinations, hundreds of times, until I get a result that tastes like the real thing and doesn’t have an unpleasant, gritty texture.” That’s usually when his suppliers look at him with incredulity – when he asks for something that costs two or three times more than what his competitors are using. But, he says, the investment is worth it. “Our shakes are as clean and as complete as they can be, but they’re fun to drink – it makes it feel like it’s not a chore!”
Over the last few years, Good Protein’s product range has expanded and now includes 12 permanent flavours, with limited edition seasonal flavours (like the recently launched and quickly sold-out Orange Cream Pop) launched every few months. Lalonde has also introduced a range of functional wellness products. Good Protein now offers a reworked green juice that offers immune and digestive benefits, with a light refreshing taste rooted in green apple, lemon and mint; there’s a red juice that harnesses the power of antioxidant-rich berries and Coffeeberry extract to provide an afternoon energy boost that’s sweet, but low-sugar; a plant-based collagen booster was thought up as a coffee creamer, with a neutral taste that can be added to coffee, shakes or smoothies and is made from antioxidant-rich foods that have been clinically proven to help increase the body’s natural production of collagen; the latest addition to Good Protein’s product offering is a turmeric latte, the only product meant to be served warm, that provides anti-inflammatory and stress-reducing benefits and was conceived as pre-sleep treat.
“Don’t get me wrong, I want people to think about our shakes all day,” he says, “but we want them to think about tasty plant-based nutrition as something that’s possible from sunrise to sunset, in a number of different ways.”
It appears to be working rather well. By Lalonde’s estimation, the company has sold well over 2 millions shakes and juices and each new flavour seems to be more popular than the last. “Right now, that’s the hard part,” he says, “keeping up with demand.”
As for what comes next, Lalonde was coy, but did offer some hints. “There are some flavours that our customers have been asking for that I’ve been working on for – literally – more than a year, so that should be exciting.” He’s also always on the lookout for ways to make Good Protein’s products better – whether from a taste, texture, or nutritional standpoint. “They might be small changes,” he says, “but they make a big difference for the body.”
One big change that might be coming, sooner rather than later? “There might be some new bags on the shelves of people’s local grocery stores within the next year.” Shop Good Protein’s All-in-One Superfood Shake now!
