Perfect Day is the innovative name behind animal-free whey protein, a source of protein that, true to its name, is like whey protein but produced using a unique fermentation process that doesn’t involve animals whatsoever. It took some time, but Perfect Day’s ingredient has been adopted by a few major sports nutrition brands like Unico in Apollo, Natreve and its cleverly named protein powder Mooless, and the international supplement giant Myprotein with Whey Fwrd Protein.
More recently, Perfect Day has become entangled in a legal battle with its Italian contract manufacturer, Olon. The dispute started when Olon sued Perfect Day for a massive $144 million, claiming breach of contract after the dairy firm allegedly planned to switch production to cheaper in-house facilities in India. Olon had invested heavily in expanding its manufacturing capabilities for Perfect Day’s unique specifications but was allegedly blindsided by the company’s sudden move.
In response, Perfect Day has countersued Olon for $200 million, accusing them of fraud and breach of contract. Perfect Day argues that it had always been transparent about its plans to eventually produce in its own facilities and claims Olon failed to meet project deadlines, causing significant delays and financial losses. Amidst this legal turmoil, Perfect Day has also been restructuring, selling off its consumer brands like Brave Robot, Coolhaus, and California Performance Co, and laying off part of its workforce to focus on its B2B operations and partnerships with large companies like Unilever.
It has been interesting watching Perfect Day grow its animal-free whey protein over the years, but it did seem to slow down over the last 12 months, with the last innovation we saw incorporating the ingredient being Apollo protein powder from Unico. We wouldn’t be surprised if the legal entanglement plays into the expansion and has an effect on availability; either way, the development is certainly worth sharing for those following the development of Perfect Day and animal-free whey protein.
