The Evolution of Gruppo JOE & Polar Joe Protein Coffee...how did it all start anyway?

It all started with the very best protein available back in 2008 - Fonterra's (biggest dairy producers in the world) exceptional whey protein isolate. We started using this protein to best support Canada's most elite athletes through a partnership with the Canadian Sport Centre - Pacific which became the Canadian Sport Institute - Pacific shortly after. CSI-Pacific was looking for the very best protein to support the high performance, high volume athletes competing on the world stage in Rowing, Rugby, Swimming, Triathlon, Athletics and Alpine sports. The protein to this day is the most pure, highest leucine content and lowest lactose protein on the planet. At 14.3% leucine content it boasts a 2.86 g of leucine per 20 g serving and less that 60 mg of lactose. For reference, a cup of milk has 12 g or 12000 mg of lactose, which makes it suitable for folks that are lactose intolerant and best supports skeletal muscle health. We get asked today, why we don't source our protein from North America or specifically Canada. The answer is simple - to date there isn't a protein on the market thats quality is even comparable to the Fonterra protein we use today. For reference, for a protein to be considered a whey protein isolate, it must have a protein purity of at least 90% on a dried basis - which means it can be as low as 85% pure on an "as-is" basis, as protein powders generally contain 6% moisture. Our protein from New Zealand and specifically the protein we choose from Fonterra is 93.5% on an "as-is" basis. It really is night and day as compared to most of the proteins utilized in powdered protein supplements.  Another reason we choose to source our protein from New Zealand is the dairy protocols they have in place that restrict farmers from using GMO feed or Growth Hormone. They require the cattle to be free range and do not tolerate factory farming!  Why does this matter? Morally it is best - Happy Cows have less stress and cortisol and the resulting milk is of a higher standard to start with. From there, the process of isolating the protein whey isolate is a cold, ultrafiltration process combined with ion-exchange that delivers the 93% purity and the highest purity protein available. It matters to muscle health for sure, but just as important, 6.5% of what is not protein compared to 15% for other proteins is what makes it taste so good, mix effortlessly and take on the flavours of whatever it is added to. We choose this protein for its performance benefits and its taste and sensory characteristics. This allows us to produce recovery blends, protein products and even protein coffee that taste like a delicious iced coffee. 

So now you know what protein we use. Back in 2010, I was in my mid 40's and aware of the research that stated in order to hold on to my lean muscle mass and do all the things I wished to for a long time to come, I had to get more protein in my diet. The Canadian Food Guide recommended 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight per day.  For reference, that meant my 80kg frame needed 64g of protein per day. This equated to half of the amount that was deemed optimal by the most recent skeletal muscle health research. In 2014, we began supporting research conducted by some of the top researchers in the world like Dr. Stuart Phillips. To this day, we have supported 30+ research studies using our chosen protein and all of the research has had the same outcome - 1.6g or more of protein per kg of body weight per day is the most effective way to preserve muscle health. The results were enhanced when coupled with 3 resistance training sessions per week. Being a coffee guy and seeing the trend of ice coffees emerging, I started playing with our protein and coffee - looking for enjoyable ways of adding protein to my diet as I struggled to get in 130g/day.

Back to the early days of my coffee and protein experimentation - the first iteration was in 2010 - we made a blend of real coffee, protein, maltodextrin and sucrose - almost embarrassingly we called it FrapPROcinno - leaning into the success of Starbucks iced coffee drinks.  We sold this on our site and it was quite obscure to be honest. We really didn't know how to market or brand back then. Fast forward a bit - I continued tweaking this recipe for my own personal use. I took shots of espresso from my Gaggia machine, mixed it with 20g of the protein, maple syrup, cream and ice. I was making the most enjoyable iced protein coffees that were great tasting, but also had 20g of protein. I loved them and friends and family loved them too. A couple years later, we leaned into the concept a bit, showing up at bike races with cold brew iced coffee from Anchor Coffee House (Windsor). We added sugar, a bit of cream and our protein to it and the feedback was exceptional.

I am almost embarrassed it took me so long to realize what we had here. In the summer of 2017 it hit me. I needed to make a protein coffee ready to mix powder that you just add water to. I quickly looked up the nutritional facts on iced coffees that were becoming popular (Starbucks, McDonalds and Tim Hortons). What I found out is that while enjoyable, they really were an indulgence. They offered little nutritional value and were all filled with sugar. The average sugar content from all 3 was 23g and they each contained only 2-3g of protein. I decided to formulate at 20g of protein, and keep the sugar at 9g. Ingredients were simple as we had them all in house: protein, freeze dried instant coffee, sugar and a non-dairy creamer. Just after creating a dispensing master, I saw on the corner of my desk, organic coconut sugar that a supplier had just sent.  I thought that it may enhance the blend as coconut sugar has a carmelly note and a lower glycemic index than refined table sugar. After one attempt, I knew we were close. I doubled the non-dairy creamer and we had it. The formulation created in 10 minutes was and is still the formulation that exists today. I was so excited! I called my partner Brenda immediately and told her what I had just created. She was with a colleague Heather at the time who said she would be interested in trying it. I posted immediately on Facebook...sometimes when you think you have a good idea, it falls flat with the community - but not this time. With my limited reach on Facebook, the response was incredible. The concept was validated and we quickly launched shortly after! We had created an enjoyable protein coffee, as good or as many would say even better than anything out there. Instead of leading with sugar, we lead with protein - 21g of protein, 9g of sugar and 5g of fat - a drink that delivers 21g of protein that you can't even detect.

You hear you have to be good to be lucky.  Indeed we were lucky. A customer of our endurance blends, Karin Dicarlo, and I had been working on a new blend for Movati Athletic (Power). Together we had formulated it to match the needs of Movati clients participating in high intensity exercise, like hot yoga, spinning and the various group training classes that were offered. Karin was looking to get away from the plastics, high sugars and artificial flavours/colours that were found in Gatorade. Karin came in to pick up the blends we prepared and I told her about our new creation. She was intrigued so I provided her with a few samples of our newly created protein coffee. She was back a day or two later asking for a large bag to share with the folks at head office. It was a hit and shortly after we received our first order from Movati, our biggest to date at well over $10,000...unreal! 1st Shipment - Jenn and Marcel, one of our proudest days!  

We are so proud to continue to do it right. We have never compromised on the quality of our ingredients. The protein we use is expensive - the truth is, the raw protein we use costs more than the protein products on the shelves at big box stores like Costco (keep in mind, they are very different products altogether). The Polar Joe brand was created in early 2022, and the growth has been nothing short of exceptional. We continue to be part of the Movati experience, and we are sold in many other gyms/fitness centres across North America. Polar Joe can also be found at retailers like MEC - The Mountain Equipment Company. Of course, we also sell through our direct to consumer channels: www.polarjoe.com & www.gruppo.com.  

proteinperday.com is a simple calculator and resource we recently created to help folks know how much protein to ingest daily. This site is loaded with countless resources relating to the research, protein in the news and how to get protein from real food. If you're interested in learning more about protein, check it out!

Although our protein coffee was created as an enjoyable means of hitting your protein number, it has evolved to be so much more. It is used during long endurance efforts, before exercise, after hard efforts as recovery fuel and as a routine to start your day. Even though it feels like we are just getting started, this has been brewing for well over a decade!