-
Join the Ausbb - Australian BodyBuilding forum The Ausbb - Australian BodyBuilding forum is dedicated to no nonsense muscle and strength building. If you need advice that works, you have come to the right place. This forum focuses on building strength and muscle using the basics. You will also find that the Ausbb- Australian Bodybuilding Forum stresses encouragement and respect. Trolls and name calling are not allowed here. No matter what your personal goals are, you will be given effective advice that produces results.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.
Please consider registering. It takes 30 seconds, and will allow you to get the most out of the forum.
How does BN protein compare to the bigger brands in terms of quality
MaxBrenner
New member
Amen Bazza!
Being involved in the industry for quite some time now, and of course formulating proteins for many years, I am glad when this question comes up.
In terms of how our proteins compare to the bigger brands, for the more serious users at least - I think they are definitely better.
Let's look at a few factors.
Protein Quality:
Firstly, at Bulk Nutrients we use the finest N.Z sourced WPI, and our WPC comes from Australia. Both of these products have some real advantages compared with the raw proteins used in U.S products as they are from grass fed cows which are 100% hormone free.
In the U.S cows are grain fed which is far less natural. There are a lot less restrictions in terms of what hormones can be used too, so unless the protein manufacturer is very strict with their standards then quality can suffer here.
The only time we ever use WPI from the U.S (when NZ stock has been impossible to get) we have gone with a very reputable manufacturer, and have some very strict criteria that they whey must meet.
Flavourings:
This is always a contentious one and this is where opinions vary the most. Many of our customers seriously rave about our flavours.
I have many emails from people often remarking that our proteins are not only some of the best value, but the nicest they have ever tasted.
I believe they taste so good as we use absolutely no extras to cheapen the products (such as fillers), we use the best quality protein we can get and we buy very high qualaity flavourings.
That said, some people do prefer "name" brand proteins more than ours, the main reason is covered in the following point.
Mixability and Texture:
This is where some of the larger brands do well, however it ALWAYS comes at a compromise.
If you have ever wondered what the hell all that stuff is in other products - xanthan gum, guar gum, skim milk powder and so on, these are added to enhance taste and mixability.
Many of these also reduce the price of a finished product, so it is cheaper for a manufacturer to produce. If you are someone who likes your protein to mix thickly, or have a specific tecture then you may not like our products.
While I think the texture is fine and they all mix well, we put absolutely nothing into our products to aid the texture or mixability as it again simply reduces purity.
We do this as we understahd that our customers appreciate purity more than anything else.
Price:
Obviously here is where we do better than the bigger brands. With major companies often utilising contractors to make their products - yes that is right, they don't even manufacture their own products, combined with huge staff costs (multiple sales rep, admin staff etc), as well as selling through retail channels, they will neber be able to match us.
Saying that, price is not everything and our goal is to deliver the finest product we can, priced as low as we can. We could offer cheaper prices than we currently do, as we could use cheaper protein as well as cheaper flavourings but we won't.
At Bulk Nutrients I think we have a great balance here and we like to think people are in a situation where they can switch to our products while only having a benefit.
Just one more point I would like to make
I have been doing some research over the last few months and I realise to a large extent this idea of "big" companies is a bit of a myth.
Though I don't know the exact sales figures of some of the traditional Australian supplement companies I honestly believe at this stage we have overtaken over many in terms of turnover. There are two Aussie brands which are well ahead in terms of brand awareness, and they are just miles ahead of everyone else, however if you come back a little it gets interesting.
We now put more sponsorship money into Australian bodybuilding than any other Australian company (as far as I know) and while we move ahead it appears opthers are pulling back.
We have just moved into a 2100 square metere factory and are looking at taking on more staff. In terms of manufacturing equipment and dispatch/service systems, I believe we would be equal to any company regardless of size.
In terms of how our proteins compare to the bigger brands, for the more serious users at least - I think they are definitely better.
Let's look at a few factors.
Protein Quality:
Firstly, at Bulk Nutrients we use the finest N.Z sourced WPI, and our WPC comes from Australia. Both of these products have some real advantages compared with the raw proteins used in U.S products as they are from grass fed cows which are 100% hormone free.
In the U.S cows are grain fed which is far less natural. There are a lot less restrictions in terms of what hormones can be used too, so unless the protein manufacturer is very strict with their standards then quality can suffer here.
The only time we ever use WPI from the U.S (when NZ stock has been impossible to get) we have gone with a very reputable manufacturer, and have some very strict criteria that they whey must meet.
Flavourings:
This is always a contentious one and this is where opinions vary the most. Many of our customers seriously rave about our flavours.
I have many emails from people often remarking that our proteins are not only some of the best value, but the nicest they have ever tasted.
I believe they taste so good as we use absolutely no extras to cheapen the products (such as fillers), we use the best quality protein we can get and we buy very high qualaity flavourings.
That said, some people do prefer "name" brand proteins more than ours, the main reason is covered in the following point.
Mixability and Texture:
This is where some of the larger brands do well, however it ALWAYS comes at a compromise.
If you have ever wondered what the hell all that stuff is in other products - xanthan gum, guar gum, skim milk powder and so on, these are added to enhance taste and mixability.
Many of these also reduce the price of a finished product, so it is cheaper for a manufacturer to produce. If you are someone who likes your protein to mix thickly, or have a specific tecture then you may not like our products.
While I think the texture is fine and they all mix well, we put absolutely nothing into our products to aid the texture or mixability as it again simply reduces purity.
We do this as we understahd that our customers appreciate purity more than anything else.
Price:
Obviously here is where we do better than the bigger brands. With major companies often utilising contractors to make their products - yes that is right, they don't even manufacture their own products, combined with huge staff costs (multiple sales rep, admin staff etc), as well as selling through retail channels, they will neber be able to match us.
Saying that, price is not everything and our goal is to deliver the finest product we can, priced as low as we can. We could offer cheaper prices than we currently do, as we could use cheaper protein as well as cheaper flavourings but we won't.
At Bulk Nutrients I think we have a great balance here and we like to think people are in a situation where they can switch to our products while only having a benefit.
Just one more point I would like to make
I have been doing some research over the last few months and I realise to a large extent this idea of "big" companies is a bit of a myth.
Though I don't know the exact sales figures of some of the traditional Australian supplement companies I honestly believe at this stage we have overtaken over many in terms of turnover. There are two Aussie brands which are well ahead in terms of brand awareness, and they are just miles ahead of everyone else, however if you come back a little it gets interesting.
We now put more sponsorship money into Australian bodybuilding than any other Australian company (as far as I know) and while we move ahead it appears opthers are pulling back.
We have just moved into a 2100 square metere factory and are looking at taking on more staff. In terms of manufacturing equipment and dispatch/service systems, I believe we would be equal to any company regardless of size.
MaxBrenner
New member
Great points Ben 
Being involved in the industry and I have seen it first hand that you guys are certainly making your mark and the 'big' companies thing is certainly a myth that I agree with. I know that first hand!
The 2 companies in question have grown at a great rate, but you guys are certainly growing at a rapid rate and for the right reasons!
Being involved in the industry and I have seen it first hand that you guys are certainly making your mark and the 'big' companies thing is certainly a myth that I agree with. I know that first hand!
The 2 companies in question have grown at a great rate, but you guys are certainly growing at a rapid rate and for the right reasons!
davidb0312
New member
Thanks for the reply Bioflex, fair points.