Actus Nutrition

What Actus Nutrition does

Actus Nutrition is a US-based, privately held B2B dairy ingredient manufacturer headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, founded in 1948 as an early pioneer in upcycling waste whey into protein ingredients. The company operates as both a branded ingredient supplier and a private-label/contract manufacturer, serving food and beverage manufacturers, sports nutrition brands, infant nutrition formulators, and animal nutrition customers across more than 45 countries. Self-described as the largest manufacturer of whey and milk proteins in North America, Actus employs between 1,001 and 5,000 people and operates production facilities in Jerome, Idaho and Norfolk, Nebraska, with a long-term exclusive supply arrangement for high-value whey from Darigold's Sunnyside, Washington facility.

The company's core technology stack is built around dairy protein processing using membrane filtration, centrifugation, and spray drying. Its product portfolio spans whey proteins, milk proteins, casein and caseinates (including the CasPRO range), specialty/custom ingredients, carbohydrates, and a growing set of branded bioactive ingredients — PRObev clear whey protein isolate (>84.6% protein, <3% fat), NutriPRO alpha-lactalbumin (2-3x standard whey concentration), PROtext extruded proteins, BeneSpore BV379 probiotic, Lactoferrin (up to 95% purity), MFGM, and VitalEx sustained-release caffeine. Products are available across six certifications (gluten-free, grass-fed, halal, kosher, Non-GMO, organic). The company also provides private-label contract manufacturing with extrusion and ready-to-mix capabilities for sports nutrition, healthy snacking, and breakfast cereal markets, plus a separate animal nutrition business covering livestock and companion animals.

Actus generates revenue through one-time B2B sales of dairy protein ingredients, private-label/contract manufacturing fees, and animal nutrition product sales. GTM is sales-led with a direct sales force targeting enterprise food manufacturers, supplemented by distributor partnerships that enable global reach. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Recent strategic activity is centered on capacity expansion — an $80 million Norfolk plant expansion completed in 2023 (currently operating at two-thirds capacity due to wastewater treatment constraints) and the June 2026 acquisition of Darigold's Jerome, Idaho milk protein facility paired with a long-term whey supply agreement — both designed to capture growing global demand for dairy proteins in sports nutrition and health products.

Name

Actus Nutrition

Legal name

Actus Nutrition

Website

https://actus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Actus Nutrition is a US-based B2B dairy ingredient manufacturer producing whey proteins, milk proteins, casein, specialty bioactives, and private-label solutions for food manufacturers, sports nutrition brands, and animal nutrition customers across 45+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Protein Ingredients

NAICS

Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115), Animal Food Manufacturing (31111), Animal Food Manufacturing (3111)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Dairy Protein Ingredients (Whey, Casein/Caseinates, Milk Protein Concentrates/Isolates) (AFAJAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Whey, Casein & Milk Protein Ingredient Manufacturing (AFAKAKAF), Proteins & Functional Nutrition Ingredients (Plant/Animal Proteins, Collagen, Amino Acids) (CRADAOAJ), Manufacturing, Private Label & Co-Manufacturing for Animal Diets (HLAMAHAO)

Keywords

• Dairy protein ingredients
• Whey protein manufacturing
• Milk protein isolates
• Private label nutrition
• Animal nutrition ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

Eden Prairie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Food Ingredient Sales: B2B sales of dairy protein ingredients including whey proteins, milk proteins, casein and caseinates, and specialty custom ingredients to food manufacturers
2. Private Label Solutions: Private label manufacturing for sports nutrition, healthy snacking, and breakfast cereal markets
3. Animal Nutrition Ingredients: Livestock and companion animal nutrition products including milk replacers, energy ingredients, nutritional supplements, and specialty dairy ingredients

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Actus Nutrition manufactures and sells dairy protein ingredients including whey proteins, milk proteins, casein and caseinates, specialty custom ingredients, and carbohydrates for food and beverage manufacturers globally. The company also provides private label contract manufacturing services for sports nutrition, healthy snacking, and breakfast cereal markets, plus animal nutrition ingredients for livestock and companion animals. Products are offered with a range of certifications including grass fed, kosher, halal, organic, Non-GMO, and gluten-free.

Product overview

Actus Nutrition is a US-based food ingredient manufacturer specializing in dairy proteins and nutritional ingredients for over 75 years. The company operates as both a product portfolio and private-label manufacturing service. Core food ingredient products include Whey Proteins, Milk Proteins, Casein & Caseinates (including the CasPRO® range), Specialty & Custom Ingredients, and Carbohydrates. Key branded ingredients include PRObev® (clear whey protein for beverages), PROtext® (extruded proteins for snacks), NutriPRO® Alpha (alpha-lactalbumin ingredients), Lactoferrin, and MFGM. The company also offers animal nutrition products including livestock feed ingredients and companion animal nutrition. All products are available with various certifications including Gluten-Free, Grass Fed, Halal, Kosher, Non-GMO, and Organic. Actus provides private-label manufacturing capabilities with extrusion and ready-to-mix services for sports nutrition, healthy snacking, and breakfast cereal markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Whey Proteins

Quantifiable outcome

• Clear whey protein with greater than 84.6% protein content and less than 3.0% fat
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DarigoldflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026Strategic partnership involving Actus taking ownership of Darigold's milk protein plant in Jerome, Idaho and investing to expand it into high-value milk protein production. Darigold will exclusively supply sweet whey and high-value whey products to Actus from its Sunnyside, Washington facility under a long-term commercial agreement. The deal connects Darigold cooperative's member-owners' milk to premium specialty ingredient markets while positioning both companies to capitalize on strong global demand for dairy proteins used in sports nutrition and health products. Transition expected to complete by mid-June 2026.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Glanbia Nutritionals: Glanbia Nutritionals is one of the world's largest producers of whey and milk protein ingredients, serving sports nutrition, food, and beverage manufacturers. It is the closest direct competitor to Actus in whey/milk protein ingredients and shares Actus's B2B ingredient supplier model.
• Hilmar Ingredients: Hilmar Ingredients manufactures whey protein and lactose products from cheese-making operations, supplying food and nutrition customers globally. It competes directly with Actus in whey protein concentrates, isolates, and milk protein ingredients.
• Idaho Milk Products: Idaho Milk Products is a US-based manufacturer of milk protein concentrates, isolates, and specialty dairy ingredients. It is a closely comparable specialty milk protein peer, particularly relevant given Actus's new Jerome, Idaho facility.
• Leprino Foods: Leprino Foods is the world's largest mozzarella producer and a major whey ingredient supplier, producing whey protein and lactose for global food customers. It is a direct dairy protein competitor with overlapping B2B ingredient channels.
• Agropur Ingredients: Agropur is a major North American dairy cooperative with a sizeable ingredients division producing whey proteins, milk proteins, and functional dairy ingredients. It is a direct peer to Actus in dairy protein ingredients and contract manufacturing.
• Arla Foods Ingredients: Arla Foods Ingredients is a global leader in whey protein solutions for infant nutrition, sports nutrition, and clinical applications. It competes directly with Actus in premium whey fractions and is a key reference for the proprietary ingredient strategy.
• Erie Foods International: Erie Foods International is a US-based manufacturer of dairy protein ingredients, including milk protein concentrates, whey proteins, and custom blends. It is a comparable specialty dairy ingredient manufacturer serving food manufacturers.

Broad incumbents

• Fonterra Cooperative Group: Fonterra is one of the world's largest dairy cooperatives, with a broad ingredients portfolio including whey and milk proteins. While much broader than Actus, it competes in the same whey/milk protein ingredient categories globally.
• Lactalis Ingredients: Lactalis Ingredients supplies whey proteins, milk proteins, and dairy ingredients to food and nutrition manufacturers worldwide as part of the Lactalis group. It overlaps with Actus in whey protein ingredient supply across multiple applications.

Regional players

• Darigold: Darigold is a Pacific Northwest dairy cooperative that has now entered a strategic partnership with Actus while also competing in the dairy protein space. It is comparable both as a whey supplier/competitor and as Actus's flagship partner for upstream supply.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/actusnutrition
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/actus-nutrition

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Actus Nutrition