Finnish food technology company Solar Foods has reached its first US consumer product placement, with sports nutrition brand Ambrosia Collective introducing a Solein-based protein powder under its Planta line for test marketing, ahead of a planned nationwide rollout this summer.
The ready-to-mix powder, available in a salted caramel coldbrew flavour, delivers 20g of protein per serving with no sugar. It is currently sold through Ambrosia Collective’s website and on Amazon. The product is also the first Solein-powered protein powder to reach consumers internationally, preceding similar launches in Singapore, where Solein has so far appeared in limited-edition items such as gelato, snack bars, and mooncakes.
Godert Zijlstra, Chief Commercial and Product Officer at Solar Foods, stated, “Solein offers a completely new harvest for humankind: it’s an ingredient unlike anything seen before, and we are delighted that consumers in the United States will now be able to experience it. We are also very excited about how Ambrosia Collective has incorporated Solein into its Planta product line and brought it to market at remarkable speed, demonstrating a rapid and effective integration of Solein into a finished consumer product.”
First commercial footing in the US
Solar Foods submitted a formal GRAS notification to the FDA last year and estimates it will receive a no-questions letter by the end of 2026. Novel food applications are also pending in the EU and UK.
Solein is produced through gas fermentation, using carbon dioxide and hydrogen as primary inputs rather than conventional agricultural feedstocks. The result is a single-cell protein ingredient containing all essential amino acids.
Targeting a $10 billion category
Zijlstra noted that protein products are increasingly consumed throughout the day rather than exclusively around exercise: “Protein products are shifting from boosting performance to mainstream across product categories, and they are not just for gym bags, but increasingly used throughout the day to support an active lifestyle.”
Ambrosia Collective co-founder Sean Torbati commented, “Since 2018, Ambrosia has sat on top of the market in the plant protein space with the best tasting, best mixing, most optimized amino acid plant protein on the market, not to mention crazy assortment of flavours.
“To stay on top, you have to stay in touch with what is the latest and greatest. We are very proud to be working with Solar Foods to incorporate Solein into our Planta formula and to bring this innovation to consumers through Planta.”
