Just Meat Protein
Cluster Connect Partipant
Just Meat Protein
Sitting at the intersection of rising global protein demand and increasing scrutiny of how that protein is produced, Just Meat Protein has been built around a simple proposition: meeting future protein needs doesn’t require new food systems, but smarter use of existing ones.
Business Type
Founded
Location
Enterprise Scale
Target Market
Focus
Background
Just Meat Protein is a second-wave protein startup built to solve the shortcomings of early alternative protein models. Rather than creating a new protein source, the company focuses on making better use of what already exists within Australia’s meat supply chain.
Co-founded by food scientist Dr Aarti Tobin and commercialisation specialist. Ellie Whelan, the company holds the exclusive global license to a CSIRO patent-pending hydrolysis process.
Their ‘secret sauce,’ the process converts underutilised meat cuts into a neutral-tasting protein powder that meets the functional demands of modern food manufacturing while avoiding many of the consumer, regulatory, and scalability challenges facing other protein innovations.
The Challenge
The global protein market is shifting fast. Consumers are actively increasing protein intake, driven by health optimisation, fitness culture, and the rise of appetite-suppressing GLP-1 medications. At the same time, manufacturers face growing constraints:
- Whey protein isolate, the current industry benchmark, is expensive and allergenic
- Plant proteins face supply limitations, flavour challenges, and functional trade-offs
- Cultivated and precision-fermented proteins face regulatory, capital, and scaling hurdles
Layered over this is increasing consumer scepticism of ultra-processed, ‘Frankenstein’ food technologies, alongside pressure to reduce waste and improve resource efficiency across supply chains.
Just Meat Protein was created to sit at the nexus of these pressures, addressing performance, cost, consumer acceptance, and sustainability via a single ingredient that’s already a staple in global diets.
What They Changed
Just Meat Protein’s proprietary technology breaks down complex meat proteins into smaller peptides and amino acids. This “pre-digestion” step improves solubility and supports efficient nutrient absorption, while retaining a complete amino acid profile.
Key product characteristics include:
- 90%+ protein content
- Complete amino acid profile
- Allergen-free
- Shelf-stable
- Fully soluble
- Neutral flavour profile suitable for sweet and savoury applications.
The ingredient is produced from underutilised cuts of meat already present in Australia’s processing system, but currently diverted to pet food or waste streams. The process is species-agnostic and has been trialled across poultry, beef, goat, and kangaroo, producing a consistent end product.
Importantly, the protein integrates into existing manufacturing processes, allowing food companies to increase protein content without changing formats, textures, or serving sizes.
Program Experience
Just Meat Protein engaged with the Industry Growth Program (IGP) and the Food and Agribusiness Network (FAN) to strengthen its early-stage growth and commercial strategy. Through the program, the team received tailored support based on program advisors gathering a deep understanding of the business’ needs and challenges.
Key elements of the program included:
- Access to a network of expertise: Introductions to key manufacturing, investment, and commercial partners within the FAN network, helping the team navigate complex supply chains and scale production
- Peer learning and collaboration: Connections with other startups at a similar stage, enabling knowledge sharing, collaboration, and benchmarking of approaches
- Market exposure: Support to attend industry conferences and events, increasing visibility, building relationships, and identifying new business opportunities.
The program helped Just Meat Protein clarify its growth strategy, expand its network of potential partners, and build confidence in its ability to scale while remaining aligned with real-world commercial and operational requirements.
Outcomes So Far
- Successful pilot production at CSIRO’s Food Innovation Centre in Werribee
- Exclusive global licence secured for CSIRO’s patent-pending process
- Early commercial engagement across sports nutrition, ready-made meals, hybrid proteins, and nutraceuticals
- Competitive pricing positioned at the lower end of the whey protein isolate range
- Clear pathway to scale via contract manufacturing, with future greenfield facility planning underway.
Initial digestibility data indicates strong performance relative to whey, with further validation planned as part of the company’s R&D roadmap.
Sector Impact
Just Meat Protein demonstrates how value can be unlocked from existing agricultural systems without requiring additional land, animals, or intensive production.
Its approach has broader implications for:
- Creating higher-value ingredient pathways for meat processors, strengthening returns while reducing waste
- Improving protein availability without increasing production intensity
- Providing manufacturers with a ‘drop-in’ alternative to allergenic ingredients
- Strengthening Australia’s position in high-value protein innovation.
By reframing sustainability as efficiency rather than substitution, Just Meat Protein offers a practical pathway for protein innovation grounded in existing regional infrastructure.
Goals & Vision
Just Meat Protein is focused on scaling its technology and moving from pilot production into commercial supply over the next 6-12 months. The company aims to produce hundreds of tonnes of protein powder annually, initially through contract manufacturing, before establishing a dedicated facility in proximity to major meat processors.
The company sees its approach as a model for efficiently utilising existing protein sources, reducing waste in the supply chain, and offering manufacturers a high-quality, cost-competitive alternative to whey or plant proteins, both in Australia and in global markets.
Advice for Other Startups
For anyone innovating in protein or alternative ingredients, Just Meat Protein shows the advantage of working with existing systems rather than building from scratch. Success comes from balancing technical performance with real-world considerations: functionality, scalability, and supply chain feasibility matter as much as novelty or sustainability claims. Creating an ingredient that slots effortlessly into current production processes speeds adoption and lowers barriers for manufacturers. Coupling deep scientific expertise with commercial and operational know-how from the start ensures innovations are not just clever, but credible, viable, and capable of generating value across the entire supply chain.