By Joel Onyango, Peter Ongalo
Each year, Kenya alone generates over 200,000 tonnes of liquid whey, most of which is discarded and underutilized. The advantage is that it’s not just waste… It’s untapped wealth.
These figures are based on production from small- and medium-scale dairy processors, cooperative societies making cheese and yoghurt, and a few industrial-scale processors like Brookside, New KCC, Raka Cheese, and Eldoville. These numbers reveal the vast amount of whey left untapped, with only a small percentage used for animal feed or given away for free due to unlimited infrastructure and a lack of awareness about its value.
What’s more worrying is that many processors discharge much of this waste into water resources, causing environmental harm. This is happening not just here in Kenya, but globally. Dairy products play a significant role in the global food industry. However, when poorly managed, by-products like whey can pollute water systems and disrupt wastewater treatment operations.
As Kenya moves toward a more sustainable economy, there’s one crucial question we should be asking?
Have we seen the full value of whey?
For a long time, whey, the liquid left over after making cheese or yogurt, has mostly gone to waste or farmers feed it to pigs. The truth is? Whey is more than just a by-product. It’s a hidden treasure for making healthy food, animal feed, and energy drinks.
When milk is made into cheese or yogurt, it splits into two parts: the solid part (which becomes cheese or curd) and the liquid part, which is whey. It comes in two types:
- Sweet whey, from making hard cheeses like cheddar
- Sour whey, from products like yogurt
Even though whey looks like cloudy water, it’s packed with good stuff. It’s mostly water — about 93% — but the rest includes:
- Protein (helps build muscles and repair the body)
- Milk sugar (lactose) for energy
- Vitamins and minerals like calcium and vitamin B
Whey packs the same protein you’ll find in fitness shakes and health drinks. It’s easy for the body to absorb and is excellent for muscle recovery, boosting energy, and helping the immune system.
From Waste to Wonder
Even though the world produces over 180 million tons of whey each year, much of it still goes unused. That’s a huge missed opportunity for health, for business, and for the planet.
Thankfully, views on this are shifting. Today, whey is being used to make:
- Protein shakes and powders (especially for athletes, rugby players, or people with special diets)
- Healthy drinks with extra nutrients
- Whey cheese, like ricotta
- Animal feed for pigs, chickens, and even fish
- Natural fertilizer and biogas for energy
Here in Kenya, companies like Raka Cheese and Eldoville are already exploring ways to turn whey into useful products — from health drinks to farm fertilizer, and even cooking gas from biogas.
At a recent mind-blowing and eye-opening discussion with stakeholders, made possible by partners such as ACTS, DTU (Technical University of Denmark), Promaco Ltd, Arla Foods, and Egerton University, we explored “Rethinking Whey: Turning a Dairy Byproduct into a High Value Opportunity for People, Animals, and the Planet.” As a country, what we seek is an economy built on the principles of circularity, where even by-products like Whey, once overlooked, are now stepping into the spotlight as a valuable resource.
“To unlock the value of whey, we must first bridge the knowledge gap.”
And this couldn’t be more true. According to the figures above, it’s clear that whey is far more than just a discarded by-product; hidden in every drop of it is an opportunity we’ve yet to seize, with immense potential. What many see as waste could be the foundation for innovative products, sustainable livelihoods, and climate-smart solutions. The challenge isn’t scarcity, but recognition and action.
So, how do we bridge this gap?
First, we need to demystify why. Many small-scale producers and communities still view it as waste. But with the proper communication, education, and awareness campaigns, we can change that narrative. Imagine hearing stories of whey turned into energy drinks, bio fertilizers, animal feed, even cosmetics, all from local innovators. That’s how change starts.
Transformation is another area that needs to be embraced. This means thinking beyond the traditional value chain. Whey isn’t just about dairy anymore; it’s about food security, zero environmental hazards, climate resilience, circular economy, and green jobs. For this to succeed, the following needs to be taken seriously.
- Inclusivity–ensuring that women, youth, and smallholders are part of the solution, not just observers.
- Networking–because no one actor can do this alone. It takes collaboration between researchers, processors, farmers, and innovators.
- Tools and Method–introducing simple, cost-effective technologies for whey handling, storage, and valorization.
- One of the most energizing moments in the workshop came when we picked up on “Creativity and Collaboration.”
Because let’s face it, real breakthroughs don’t happen in isolation. They occur when we challenge what’s considered “normal” and bring diverse minds and sectors together to co-create something new.
And it’s already happening. Companies like Brookside and New KCC are revolutionizing their whey management, shifting from disposal to reusing it in animal feed production, a move that’s both sustainable and cost-effective for farmers.
Meanwhile, innovators like Raka Cheese and Eldoville are pushing boundaries. Raka is part of a growing health food market. Eldoville is actively turning whey into organic fertilizer, nutritious feed, and even biogas. Quite literally transforming waste into power. But what makes these efforts truly exciting is how collaborative they are. These companies are working hand-in-hand with researchers, universities, farmer cooperatives, and development partners to prototype and scale real-world solutions.
The room was buzzing with energy. You could feel the shift in mindset- from “what can we do with whey?” to “how soon can we start?” From farmers and food scientists to entrepreneurs and policymakers, everyone was leaning in and eager to connect ideas with action. At the heart of it all, one message was crystal clear: Whey isn’t just a by-product; it’s a starting point for innovation across nutrition, agriculture, sustainability, and enterprise.
Rethinking Whey: From Missed Opportunity to Market Gold
People were ready to challenge the status quo. It wasn’t just another technical meeting. It was an honest, grounded, and eye-opening conversation among farmers, researchers, processors, entrepreneurs, and policy minds. The moment the discussion began, the big questions came pouring in.
- “Can we get rid of all that water in whey?”
- “Why do people still think whey is just pig feed?”
- “If the value is there, why aren’t we seeing more whey-based products on shelves?”
These were not just questions. They were barriers. Real-life challenges we’ve been sitting on for years. So we took them seriously. Here are some of the major issues that surfaced, and the ideas we explored to move beyond them.
Whey is mostly water. What do we do with it?
It’s true, whey is 93% water, which complicates storage and transport. The nutrients, protein, lactose, and minerals, are packed into just 7% of the mix.
So what’s the fix?
We need simple, decentralized solutions for removing water from whey. Think in this direction:
- Solar dryers for small-scale setups
- Low-cost filtration systems that don’t need heavy power
- And yes, a shift in mindset, from throwing it out to concentrating on it for value.
People don’t know the value of whey.
Most stakeholders, farmers, processors, and even consumers don’t fully realize they can transform whey into:
- Protein powders
- Nutritious drinks
- Animal feed
- Organic fertilizer
- Even biogas for cooking and energy!
Solutions: More storytelling. More demos. More local heroes.
Equipment is costly
Equipment like pasteurizers, separators, and dryers can be out of reach for small processors. And honestly, the math doesn’t always add up for them.
Solutions Include Shared hubs, government leasing programs, and start-small approaches.
Low visibility in both media
‘I have never heard about Greek yoghurt, or does it belong to a particular class of people? One stakeholder said. How often do you hear or see an ad for a whey-based drink on local radio or when you’re scrolling through your phone? Or when shopping in the local supermarket, or when it’s mentioned on your favorite cooking show?
We have failed, and that’s part of the problem.
Solution: Time to get creative:
- Use storytelling, branding, and packaging to make whey products people’s choice.
- Support youth in marketing, design, and product innovation.
“Let’s take it to where the people are, run taste tests at local markets, national expos, and county trade fairs. Because once they try it, they’ll talk about it. And that buzz? That’s how we shift the narrative.”
Policy & Partnerships Are Weak
- Lack of clear food safety guidelines for whey products
- Difficulty accessing loans or grants for whey innovation
- There’s a fundamental disconnect between farmers, industry, government, and researchers. The very people who need to team up to make this work. And let’s be honest, without the right policies in place, we’re not going anywhere fast.
So what’s the way forward?
- Push for precise, practical regulation
- Design pilot funding programs for whey valorization under climate and food security goals
- Establish ongoing, cross-sector platforms that keep all players, from farm to fork, engaged, aligned, and innovating year-round.
Where Do We Go from Here?
To unlock the full potential of whey and drive its environmental and economic valorization, we must unlock MYST (mindset, youth, storytelling, and technology), which means shift mindsets, amplify awareness, and foster inclusive collaboration using the most energetic people, the youth, across innovation, storytelling, and sustainable action.”
Why isn’t the problem? The challenges stem from disconnects, the way we work in separate corners, each guarding our little piece of the puzzle.
Researchers are discovering amazing things, but farmers don’t hear about them.
Government is shaping policy, but processors aren’t at the table.
Entrepreneurs have bold ideas, but they don’t know who to call or where to start.
It’s like we’re all part of the same band, but playing different songs, on various stages, with no one keeping time.
But the good news? We can change that.
We can break down the walls, bridge the gaps, and turn these separate voices into a harmony of action.
And now is the time.
Not tomorrow. Not next year.
Now is when we shift from seeing waste… to seeing it as wealth.
Now is when we stop working in silos and start building systems, together.
Now is when we unlock the power of mindset, youth, storytelling, and technology to drive change.
Because the opportunity is already here.
Whey isn’t just a byproduct. It’s a breakthrough waiting to happen.
And the time to act is now.
We have the knowledge, the tools, and, now more than ever, the collective will to act.
Call to action: So let’s keep this momentum going.
- Let’s co-create pilots.
- Let’s tell better stories.
- Let’s make the invisible visible
Because Whey Is the Way Forward.
Related resources:
- Blog: Accelerating Market Penetration of Whey-based Food Products in Kenya: Matching consumer insights and innovation
- Blog: Whey Waste into Wealth: Harnessing the Possibilities of Whey in Kenya.
- Workshop report: Valorizing Dairy By-products: Insights from a Kenya Circular Economy Journey with the VALORISE Project
- Workshop report: Dairy Industry Sustainability through Adding Value to Processing Sidestreams
- Project Brief: Circular Bioeconomy for the Kenyan Dairy Sector (VALORISE)
The project is funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
