Vertical integration is a significant step made by a few companies in the industry, where instead of relying on a manufacturer of some kind, brands invest in the equipment themselves and produce it entirely in-house. This has numerous upsides as you can imagine, where the cost of everything becomes much cheaper, since you’re cutting out the middle man, and brands are able to adapt, evolve, and innovate at a much faster pace.
The fast-growing brand Upfront in the Netherlands has made the first step in that direction, and invested in the equipment to begin producing its signature functional supplement. That item is the brand’s best-selling Protein Oats, a simple combination of whey protein and nutritious oatmeal, for a balanced meal solution. In ten weeks, Upfront is firing up its newly built production line that will see it make the product all on its own.
Part of the Upfront approach is to be completely transparent, and with this vertical integration, that will continue as it is passing on the savings of producing Protein Oats under its own roof, to consumers. The result is going to be €13 a bag, down from its original €19, a huge saving, and while the brand hasn’t made any units yet, until the end of the month it is giving fans a taste of that cost, discounting the current version to €13.
