A David and Goliath Story 

We might be going out on a limb comparing our product with a competitor’s. Usually a business like ours wouldn’t want to give a free ad to a rival. In the case of Vega, we are talking about a brand whose parent company made $27 billion dollars last year so we feel confident that you’ve heard of them. Rather than pretend they don’t exist we want to put our cards on the table and let you make the choice. 

Introduction

Our intention is to compare Vega Protein and Greens and ViraOne Chocolate Chaga and assess the differences and similarities between the two products. At the same time we’ll also share a bit about both company's backgrounds and visions. We believe that you’ll decide for yourself once you’ve had a chance to compare these two products. 

Introducing the champion Vega  

There’s no doubt that Vega is the brand name in vegan and plant-based protein health mixes and has been for some time. This now house-hold name almost never got started. If it wasn’t for a chance meeting between BC founders Brendan Brazier and Charles Chang in 2003 this Canadian success story might not have been.  

From Rebel to Tycoon 

From a living room meetup to being purchased by a billion dollar company in just over 10 years, Vega is not just a health and wellness success story but a Canadian small business one as well. After riding high in a new category (vegan protein) the company was acquired by Colorado based WhiteWave in 2015 for $550 million dollars. WhiteWave was then acquired by French multinational Donane in 2017. This corporate giant owned Vega until 2021 when it was sold to US private equity firm, WM Partners. 

Introducing the Challenger ViraOne 

We are proud to be the scrappy upstart, staring down a giant that was once a small player like us. Formulated by Adele Engel and brought to market by Mark Brown, ViraOne has been wowing customers across Canada since 2014. Taking a truly organic approach to growth, our flagship product Chocolate Chaga has been nourishing our customers and giving back to our communities. 

To hear more about the origin story of ViraOne with a Q&A by Adele check out Are Superfood Smoothies Healthy?

Aspiring to Greatness 

Having established ourselves as a regional brand, particularly focused on the Greater Toronto Area and SW Ontario, we are ready to earn our place as an internationally recognized and trusted company. We believe small batch production, community engagement and obsession with raw and organic ingredients will be the keys to our success. Over the next year we will be expanding our product line to support athletes, seniors and families. 

Product Overview 

Vega Protein & Greens and ViraOne GoodStuff are both excellent sources of nutrition and can support a healthy lifestyle. Both products contain plant-based protein and each brand uses different sources for their blends.

Vega Protein and Greens

Vega Protein & Greens is a plant-based protein powder that's made from pea, hemp and pumpkin seed protein. It’s vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and contains no added sugar. It's also lactose-free and suitable for people with food allergies or intolerances to dairy products. Vega is owned by WM Partners, a private equity firm based in Miami Florida. 

ViraOne GoodStuff

ViraOne GoodStuff is an organic alternative that provides many of the same benefits as Vega. Chocolate Chaga GoodStuff contains chaga mushrooms and organic cacao, in addition to plant based protein (Organic Fermented Pea Protein and Organic Hemp Protein) that helps you feel full and satisfied. Good Stuff is locally owned and produced in Toronto, Ontario Canada.

Product 1: Vega Protein and Greens  

Vega Protein & Greens contains pea, rice and sacha inchi protein while ViraOne GoodStuff features raw organic cranberry, pea and hemp seed protein. Vega has more protein per serving at  0.6g per gram of mix (20g/scoop), while ViraOne comes in at 0.4g per gram of mix (9g/tablespoon). Both are good options, but if you’re looking for maximum protein content then Vega might be the way to go.

Pros Cons of Protein and Greens 

Vegan, GMO and Dairy free 

At a time when whey protein was as close you could get to vegan protein, Vega created an entirely new sector of the protein shake. 

Extra Protein 

20g of protein per scoop is nothing to sneeze at. If you’re an athlete or someone who needs protein supplements, Vega might be a good choice. 

Multiple Flavours 

Vega comes in multiple different flavours that you can choose from ranging from natural peanut butter to chocolate mint fudge brownie.

Cons of Proteins and Greens

Question of allergens 

While Vega products are free of allergens they are not manufactured in nut-free facilities. Depending on the sensitivity of your family member, this may not be sufficient protection. 

Flavour not for everyone 

We’ll be the first to admit that creating healthy products that taste great isn’t easy. And we’ve received feedback from some of our customers that they don’t care for the taste of Vega. Too small a sample to say anything definitively but we are open, if not eager, to put our mix against Vega in a taste test challenge! 

Product 2: Chocolate Chaga GoodStuff 

GoodStuff is an organic alternative that provides many of the same benefits as Vega. One big difference is that ViraOne is a small business located in Ontario Canada, whereas Vega is now owned by a large company and its headquarters are in Florida. ViraOne doesn't have the same name recognition as Vega but it's still widely used among athletes, nutritionists, seniors and those recovering from illness or surgery. 

Pros of ViraOne GoodStuff 

95% Organic Ingredients 

We know that not everyone is focused on organic ingredients. But for us, this is just one of the ways we stay quality obsessed. 

Allergy Free

Our ingredients are allergy free and are mixed in allergy free facilities. 

Mushroom power  

Chaga mushrooms are part of our original formulation. Since well before they were so popular our customers have been enjoying the extra boost of vitality and energy that this hero ingredient brings. 

Cacao for the win 

We aren’t hating on regular chocolate but unless you’ve got raw, organic cacao in your health mix you haven’t experienced the true magic of the bean. We love this ingredient and if you do too, check our recent blog Hero Ingredients 1: Cacao 

Small batch production 

ViraOne has always used small batch production to create our products. We believe this is how we can stay focused and connected to the thing that matters most to us, quality. 

GoodStuff wins on flavour 

We are biased and we definitely feel like GoodStuff can challenge Vega Protein and Greens on taste. From kids to seniors our formulations are enjoyed first on flavour. 

Community Connection 

We are proud members of the communities we serve. We are Canadian owned and operated with aspirations to bring GoodStuff to the world.  A family and friends enterprise, we invest 3% of all sales into programs that strengthen food security. If having locally sourced and invested products is important to you we ask that you take a closer look at ViraOne’s GoodStuff before you buy from the larger players in the space. 

Cons of GoodStuff 

Lighter on the protein 

One area that we do get beat is in the protein department. Even though we are only slightly less than Vega, we do realize that for some consumers that extra protein is what they are looking for. We’ve heard the feedback and are working on an athlete’s blend to meet this need. 

One formula 

We have one mix and have grown as a company from our legacy blend Chocolate Chaga. For non-chocolate fans we are working on a vanilla blend as well as other flavour lines for future products. We recognize that we need to grow our lines and can’t wait to introduce them to you!

Conclusion

We have great respect for Vega and the leadership role they’ve historically played in the plant-based nutrition and superfood mixes. The story of co-founder Brendan Brazier starting the company from his mom’s apartment inspires and is relatable to us. Even though they are our competitors we draw inspiration from their story. When it comes to which product, Protein and Greens or GoodStuff, you should buy, we'll leave that up to you, your tastebuds and what type of business you’d prefer to support.