Whey, the liquid byproduct of cheese making, was once considered waste. Now it is a key ingredient in the protein powders that Ozempic users and weight lifters are downing in ever-greater amounts.
Ken Heiman is a certified Master Cheesemaker, one of four who ensure that the Cheddar, Gouda and other cheeses made at Nasonville Dairy in Marshfield, Wis., taste great.
But as proud as he is of his cheese, Mr. Heiman knows that his company’s profitability these days is thanks less to Colby than it is to whey, the liquid byproduct of cheese making that helps to satisfy America’s seemingly insatiable appetite for added protein.
Nasonville Dairy produces around 150,000 pounds of cheese a day, but just breaks even on most of it, especially the 40-pound blocks of Cheddar that are a cheesemaker’s stock in trade. What increasingly keeps the lights on is whey.
“We ought to be thanking people who are buying whey protein at Aldi’s,” said Mr. Heiman, who, in addition to being a Master Cheesemaker, is Nasonville’s chief executive. “It definitely enhances the bottom line.”
