Full names: Damien Kennedy & Greg Duggan
Roles: Co Founders of Wheyhey Protein Ice Cream
DOBs: 5th July 1984 and Jan 23rd 1987
Birthplaces: Cork and London
Twitter: @WheyheyOfficial
Website: www.wheyhey.co.uk
Fun Fact(s): Greg can peel a banana with his toes. Damien can peel a banana with his hands, just.
So, I read that you met at Brunel, studying physiology. Could you tell us about your first meeting and how the idea for Wheyhey eventually came about?
Sure, we met doing a collaboration on a piece of coursework actually. The idea for Wheyhey came about from being denied access into the cinema! We had a few tupperwares of high protein food (like the sad bastards we are) and were told we couldn’t bring them in. After a quick glance around the foyer and seeing a giant queue for a certain ice cream brand (who shall remain nameless) we had our lightbulb moment! A high protein, sugar free, genuinely healthy ice cream!
You used a cuisineart to make the first batch right? Could you give us an outline of how that worked, how you make it now? Do you use whey protein powder, separate the whey from milk? Some other method?
If I told you I would have to kill you! [Ed: Oh]
Why whey? Why not caseinhey? Eggwhitehey? (asides from the fact that the names are a bit silly) Had you considered any of the other protein options?
Whey Protein Isolate is the gold standard of protein sources and we wanted to make a Gold standard product, so for us there was never any doubt as to what protein we would use.
What’s the best response you’ve had to WheyHey so far? I noticed one of your fans sent you a picture with the icecream made into a smiley face… 🙂
Haha, yeah we love the stuff we get sent in on social media, always makes our days slightly more interesting! Our best response ever was a fan asking for a game of truth or dare. They ended up eating ice cream balancing on their heads!
I noticed you’re involved with David Gandy – asides from his initial investment, what else does he do with you guys?
Stay tuned to find out! 😉
I read about your hospital trial and how well that went. That’s bloody brilliant! Could you tell us a little more about what happened there and how it turned out?
Well we began chatting with a few Dietitians and consultants for the NHS and ended up on trial at the royal free hospital. That is where we started and we are building on it every day!
Another cool thing, the order sent to Richard Branson on Necker Island! Could you tell us more about that – is he a repeat customer? Did he give you any feedback?
He certainly is a repeat customer, we actually have a load of events lined up with Virgin over this summer. We can’t sing their praises high enough, they and Richard have been so supportive of what we are doing. And yes…his feedback was nothing other than WHEYHEY!
Please define ‘protein enriched world’. How do I move there?
Haha…get on the WheyheyWonderBus to Wheyhey Station, Climb the Wheyhey Ice Cream stairs to the Wheyhey Protein Fortified gates, find the key under the Ice Cream Pot and hey presto, you are there!
What’s a ‘day in your life’ like? Could you give us an insight into the life at Wheyhey?
Busy…extremely busy! We are expanding as quickly as we can to establish ourselves strongly as first to market as we know there will be copy cats eventually :). Every now and then we get to have an ice cream and kick back in the Wheyhey hot tub…other than that it is pretty manic! (in a good whey)
What’s your philosophy, summed up in a sentence?
Don’t buy any food product that has a TV advert…and when Wheyhey has a TV advert, this philosophy no longer applies.
What advice would you give to aspiring food entrepreneurs who’d want the kind of results that you’ve had?
Be prepared for the most extreme stress levels you could ever imagine…maybe it is because we are in frozen (being an ice cream) but boy oh boy is it tough! Also…make sure you are doing something different, be brave, go big and carve a new path!
Do you even lift
Yeah Bro.
If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you be doing instead?
Teaching I guess…A wonderful profession built only for those with the patience of a saint…so not me!
What’s your ultimate aim and goal for Wheyhey? If you could achieve anything with it, what would you pick? Money and reality are no obstacle, so shoot for the moon…
Wheyhey WILL be the Red Bull of the freezer isle. Our new product development team are working day and night on new product and flavours, within the next few months you will be able to sit Wheyhey next to any other high sugar, high fat, high everything (apart from Protein) Ice Cream and not even know the difference
Where next for you and the business?
The Stratosphere! Who knows maybe we will have a guy jump from a Wheyhey Balloon on the edge of space!
And we always ask three customary ridiculous questions…
If the army donated a functioning army tank to Wheyhey (and paid it’s fuel /ammo expenses) what would you do with it?
Blow up all the agave nectar factories 😉 [Ed: YES!]
If you had to get into a no holds barred, 20 round fist fight with any fictional character, who would you square off against?
The Undertaker…getting choke slammed looks like a right laugh
If you had to found a new country based around Wheyhey’s principles, what would you call it, where would it be, what would it’s capital be called and what would it’s chief export be?
WheyTown in Antarctica so we wouldn’t have to worry about freezers any more.
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