IN Brief:
- Lactalis has acquired UK nutrition brand Protein Works for an undisclosed sum.
- Protein Works operates a Liverpool manufacturing site and sells across the UK and European markets.
- The deal strengthens Lactalis’ position in high-protein, active nutrition, and functional food formats.
Lactalis has acquired Liverpool-based Protein Works, adding a UK manufacturing platform and direct-to-consumer nutrition brand to its growing protein portfolio.
Financial terms have not been disclosed. Protein Works, founded in 2012, produces protein shakes, meal replacement products, supplements, and snacks, with sales across the UK and European markets including Germany, France, and Italy. The business generates annual revenue of about €65m and operates a manufacturing site in Liverpool.
The acquisition brings Lactalis’ dairy protein and FMCG scale together with Protein Works’ e-commerce model, brand positioning, and functional nutrition manufacturing capability. Protein Works has invested heavily in its Speke campus, bringing production, fulfilment, research, and operational functions into a single site designed to support higher output and tighter quality control.
That manufacturing base gives the deal more weight than a straightforward brand acquisition. Powder blending, flavour development, packaging, testing, and fulfilment all sit close to the category’s commercial pace, where new flavours, functional claims, and promotional cycles move quickly. A vertically integrated UK site gives Lactalis a stronger foothold in active nutrition production rather than only in ingredient supply.
Lactalis has been increasing its exposure to protein-led foods for several years, with activity spanning dairy brands, skyr, ingredients, and nutrition formats. The Protein Works deal adds a consumer-facing platform at a point when protein demand is broadening beyond traditional sports users. Weight management, active ageing, satiety, everyday wellness, and GLP-1 companion nutrition are all drawing larger food groups into higher-protein products.
Capacity and protein valorisation have been central to recent dairy investment. FrieslandCampina Ingredients’ more than €90m expansion of whey protein capacity in the Netherlands, set out in FrieslandCampina expands whey protein capacity in the Netherlands, shows how dairy processors are pushing further into higher-value protein streams. The same direction is visible in Armor Protéines pushes dairy functionality and precision fermentation, where dairy functionality and bioactive ingredients were positioned alongside newer production technologies.
Protein Works gives Lactalis a different route into that market. Rather than only selling ingredients into other manufacturers’ formulations, the group gains a brand with consumer data, direct customer relationships, and a product-development rhythm shaped by online demand. That can be valuable in a category where flavour launches, reviews, repeat purchase, and social media response all feed back into manufacturing and product planning.
The deal also gives Lactalis a UK base in a category where speed and credibility are important. Functional nutrition consumers expect products that deliver protein density without compromising taste, texture, solubility, or convenience. For manufacturers, that creates a demanding mix of ingredient sourcing, flavour masking, powder flow, allergen control, packaging format selection, and batch consistency.
Large dairy groups are moving into this space because protein offers better value than commodity milk alone. Whey proteins, caseins, skyr-style formats, protein drinks, bars, powders, and meal replacements all create opportunities to capture more margin from milk-derived nutrients. The strongest operators will be those able to combine ingredient security, brand trust, manufacturing efficiency, and fast development.
Integration will need careful handling. Protein Works has grown through agility, online reach, and a distinct brand identity, while Lactalis operates at a scale shaped by dairy processing, retail relationships, and global supply chains. The challenge will be to expand the brand without slowing the launch cadence that helped it compete in the first place.
The acquisition follows approval of the Arla and DMK merger, covered in Arla and DMK secure dairy merger approval, and adds another marker to a dairy sector being reshaped by scale, ingredients value, and functional nutrition. For Lactalis, Protein Works turns that strategic direction into a UK manufacturing and e-commerce asset.
