Wisconsin Whey

Neighbors in a residential area count on each other—and often connect to support each other in unexpected ways—like the classic ask for a cup of sugar or grabbing a package off a porch. For VIRESCO and Wisconsin Whey, operating on adjoining plots created a mutually beneficial, extremely neighborly relationship.

Wisconsin Whey takes a by-product of cheesemaking—whey—and transforms it into whey protein to be used in muscle-building powders and other food products. Then VIRESCO takes the by-product of that process and converts it into renewable energy.

The process, in addition to decreasing food waste by using a stream from the manufacture of cheese, is particularly efficient, cost-effective, and clean thanks to the two companies’ proximity to each other. There’s a pipeline between the two plants, maximizing the efficiency of getting Wisconsin Whey’s liquid waste into the VIRESCO system. It’s a win-win. And if any packaged product needs to be recycled, VIRESCO’s DePak™ system takes it on as well. If for some reason product can’t be shipped, Wisconsin Whey doesn’t see it as a bag of waste, it’s energy—and VIRESCO has processes to capture every bit of that value.