Cooperation with vly
KWS in the supermarket
The food startup vly has launched the first organic pea protein-based milk alternative derived from our breeding program – another milestone for our KWS Food Ingredients team.
The vly High Protein milk alternative is the first product in the food industry to use pea protein from KWS.
Almost to the day, it took three years from the start of the collaboration in March 2023 to the presentation of the product at the Biofach trade fair in Nuremberg in February 2026 (for the KFI team: Nigel Moore, Sanaah Sharma Bagga, and Alexandra Molitor).
The KWS Food Ingredients (KFI) team tried the new vly milk alternative for itself before market launch. A blind taste test in Berlin confirmed that milk alternatives made with the jointly selected KWS pea line had a more appealing taste than plant-based milk alternatives made from other commercially available pea proteins.
The new product, vly High Protein, is sold in Germany at the drugstore chain dm. It is the first result of the collaboration between the Berlin-based food startup vly and KWS. The partnership began defining a clear objective three years ago: a milk alternative that is less bitter than previous variants and tastes like real milk. That was the basis for the second step: selection of pea lines that exhibited the greatest potential according to genetic and functional analyses. The flavor of the protein from the peas selected in this round was then tested by a panel of trained tasters. In a next step, protein from the highest-rated lines was first tasted in a standard recipe for pea milk in order to select the final pea line. Combined with a specially tailored recipe, the milk was then put on the market. This was the first time ever that pea protein from KWS has been used in a food industry product.
That marks a key milestone for KFI under the Strategic Planning 2035. The team not only discovered genetic diversity in peas that makes a difference in the taste of food. It has also succeeded in linking the value chain – from breeding, the field and protein production to the food manufacturer – and generating value for KWS beyond the seed market. “And all that just three years after the start of the first collaboration – a magnificent accomplishment that demonstrates the power of agile projects with a strong team,” says Commercial Director Alexandra Molitor.
“It’s not enough to see what the analysis equipment says.”
Alexandra Molitor
Cooperation is key
Close collaboration with the food industry is key for KWS to be able to deliver the ideal protein. “We can’t find out on our own whether our pea protein improves a milk alternative or a burger. It’s not enough to conduct lab tests and look at what the analysis equipment says.” KWS’ protein must also harmonize with other ingredients, and the million dollar question is: Do people actually like the taste?
It’s also vital to have protein produced by reliable partners. That’s why the KFI team has positioned itself as a certified broker offering organic quality (see “Certified value chain,” insideKWS 04.25). “The entire value chain, from the pea to the protein isolate, was also established within Germany,” adds Alexandra Molitor. In turn, that meets vly customers’ expectations for sustainability, as vly’s co-founder Nikolas Hartmann notes. Alexandra Molitor knows: “Everything builds on top of each other – milestone by milestone.”
Have you already tried it? How do you like the taste of the new milk alternative vly High Protein? Send your feedback to:
Alexandra Molitor
© KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA 2026
