5 Min
Zuletzt aktualisiert am 14.08.2025
What originally started as a crazy idea between two friends has now become a sustainable food startup with big plans. Here you can learn the somewhat different founding story of Vetain.
The Origin
It all began during the summer holidays of 2019, right before our final exams. At that time, we were spending a lot of time at the gym and not really thinking about a sustainable diet.
The more we dealt with training, the clearer it became to us how important good nutrition really is. A few documentaries and reports later, we realized that our routine post-workout shake (consisting of 30g of whey and half a liter of milk) might not be the best choice for us personally—or for the environment.
We dug deeper into the topic and were shocked. Every day, dozens of tons of whey are produced in the cheapest possible way. And of course, the milk used for it doesn’t exactly come from the happiest cows!
We had to change our attitude and, above all, our diet immediately. We no longer wanted to be partly responsible for the exploitation of animals and the environment. Plus, we were tired of constantly feeling bloated and didn’t want to keep ignoring the fact that whey was affecting both our skin and our overall well-being.
The Revelation That Never Came
So we set out in search of vegan alternatives. The result? Pure disappointment.
The vegan proteins we ordered were all terribly bad. They tasted artificially sweet, were difficult to mix, and left behind a gritty mouthfeel. Coincidence? Hardly. Back then, we really tested almost every vegan protein available on the market—and always with the same disappointing result!
In the end, we were so frustrated that one day we just said: “Why don’t we just make our own protein that’s actually good? How hard can it be?”.
By the way, at that time we only wanted to make the protein for ourselves. The idea of selling it online came much later.
"We Can Do Better"
Said and done. Just a few weeks later, we were holding our first prototype in our hands. No registered business and no prior experience in product development. And lo and behold, our first prototype was good. It wasn’t great, but it was good—not too sweet, good solubility, and a pleasant taste.
Over the next one and a half years, we tested more than 400 raw materials, worked with a lab, sports doctors, nutritionists, and contract manufacturers, and developed from the best ingredients our Vegan Protein until we were finally 100% satisfied with both the taste and the quality.
The only thing missing was the necessary funds for our first production run.
So in March 2021, we launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter and managed to raise over €16,000 for our idea within just three weeks.
The rest is history.
What’s Next?
Now we want to take on the entire food industry and push for more sustainable and fair business practices. High-quality products at a fair price. The environment should have a chance to recover, and farmers should have a voice.
Let’s take new paths together and become part of our journey!
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