![\"CEO](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_CEO-Laura-Keir-and-CFO-Tom-Reece-at-PW-Campus-Speke-Liverpool.jpg\")
CEO Laura Keir and CFO Tom Reece at Protein Works Campus, Speke, Liverpool(Image: Protein Works )<\/p>\nThe bootstrapped business opened a state of the art warehouse in Liverpool this yearCEO Laura Keir and CFO Tom Reece at Protein Works Campus, Speke, Liverpool(Image: Protein Works )<\/p>\n
A Liverpool business has gone from being a spare bedroom operation to making over \u00a355million since it first started. Founded by Mark Coxhead, Protein Works opened a \u00a310 million state of the art warehouse facility in Speke<\/a> this May having been founded on bootstraps back in 2012.<\/p>\n In 2025 it perhaps isn’t hard to understand how the business, which sells protein shakes and wellness supplements, as well as high-protein snacks<\/a> and full-meal shakes has had such success. Take a cursory glance at any supermarket shelf and you will likely find the words protein plastered across everything from yoghurt <\/a>to coffee.<\/p>\n Protein Works itself has sold over 450 million shakes worldwide and continues with over 2.5 million customers globally – a far cry from the single industrial unit in Runcorn <\/a>that marked the brand’s early days.<\/p>\n CEO Laura Keir, originally from Manchester, joined the business in 2015 and explained how marketing protein to more than just gym-bros has been key to the brand’s success.<\/p>\n “There was a gap in the market”, says Laura, explaining that despite the current obsession with protein, it used to be marketed at the gym-goer, and not the average consumer. Nor, she says, was it marketed at women.<\/p>\n “No one would have predicted protein exploding. But we know it’s one of the most important macro nutrients. Mark knew if he could crack the code and bridge the gap between gym-goers and every day people’s needs it would be a success”.<\/p>\n “Any entrepreneur starting from scratch is taking big personal risks but there was heart and soul”.<\/p>\n It seems Protein Works was ahead of the curve too and it was founded three years before major brand Huel<\/a>, which launched in 2015.<\/p>\n “We have trust with people too. Everything we make it rigorously tested and we only use high quality ingredients. If it doesn’t pass an 80% customer satisfaction rate for anything to do with taste for instance, it will be tweaked”.<\/p>\n Laura, who joined the company is 2015, said: “At the time Joe Wicks had around 20,000 followers on Instagram. Wellness was only just starting to become more accessible. I had just had my first baby and was looking to get back into shape. As fate would happen Mark was looking for a Market Director”.<\/p>\n Fast-forward 10 years and the protein market shows no sign of slowing down. Protein Works sold over 1.18 million shakes on Black Friday<\/a> alone (28 November) and now in its thirteenth year the company is growing still.<\/p>\n![\"Protein](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_Vegan_Protein_Extreme_225e05352e1-ezgifcom-webp-to-jpg-converter.jpg\")
Protein Work’s Vegan Protein Extreme shake (Image: Protein Works)<\/p>\n![\"Protein](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_Ridiculous_Vegan_Bar_62179ae49a-ezgifcom-webp-to-jpg-converter.jpg\")
Protein Work’s ‘Ridiculous Vegan Bar'(Image: Protein Works)<\/p>\n