In the world of collagen peptides, …hydrolyzed collagen, …collagen hydrolysate, …hydrolyzed gelatine, or by any of the many other names collagen peptides are marketed by, there are manufacturers and there are marketers. To a large degree, these companies are either one or the other. The vast majority of brand name collagen products on the market today are manufactured by rather large companies like Rousselot or Gelita. Founded outside of the United States, and with most of their production somewhere abroad, their products are purchased and packaged by marketing companies and sold under various brand names here in the United States. The intent of stating this practice is not to suggest there is something inherently wrong with the status quo, but instead to highlight the current structure of companies that manufacture and market collagen peptides and to provide a backdrop to begin to describe how American Grasslands is different.

As one of the founders of American Grasslands, I can say, our beginnings are different. Our plan has been, and continues to be, to make high-quality hydrolyzed collagen peptides from organic beef instead of the conventionally foreign farmed, bovine hide that’s widely available today. We wanted to use only wholesome, edible materials from organic, U.S. raised, grass fed, and grass finished beef. We wanted to use a natural process that didn’t rely on the production of chemicals, whether they be fertilizers or pesticides used to produce feed, or synthetic acid and alkali chemicals used in the manufacturing of conventional gelatin and collagen products. We also wanted our process to be simple and have the smallest environmental impact possible. We are happy to say that we’ve accomplished what we’ve set out to do! We finally got our start in the Central Valley of California in the fall of 2023. We are excited to be “Setting a New Standard for Collagen Peptides” with the launch of American Grasslands Hydrolyzed Collagen Peptides Liquid Concentrate made from 100% Certified Organic Beef!

Into the Future!
We are far from done! Some of the projects we’re working on that will guide are growth into the future are the following:

Short Term Projects:

Facility Organic Certification
We’re looking forward to completing our Organic Certification through California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). Our current product, process and facility all qualify for Organic Certification today.  We’re hoping to have this certification officially completed by March 2024 after which we will add the USDA Organic labeling to our package.

Medium Term Projects:

MORE Environmentally Friendly Packaging
Our current bottle is made from High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) with a Polypropylene (PP) cap. Our bottle is fully recyclable, and we encourage our customers to recycle their used bottles along with other recyclables. We have identified even more environmentally friendly packaging options which we will incorporate as innovations for future products. Unfortunately, these options are out of reach for us today but as we grow, we will add these improvements.

Flavored Variations
We LOVE to innovate! We’re excited for future versions of our current Hydrolyzed Collagen Peptides with natural and organic flavors added for delicious and adventurous flavor experiences! Flavored options to come!

Long Term Projects:

Clinical research for further study of Organic Collagen Peptides
There is still a lot to learn about Organic Collagen Peptides. We have plans for future studies on the unique benefits of Organic verses conventionally made options and we’re encouraged by what we have learned so far.

Specialty Dehydrated Collagen Peptides
We love the benefits of a liquid concentrate. Mixing into solution instantly and the reduced environmental impact in processing and infrastructure are just a few examples. That said, we also see benefits in flavoring and convenience that can come with dehydrated options. We have identified the drying technology that provides the same benefits of liquid concentrate, in instant dissolvability and in environmental impact.

We are excited for the future! We are committed to bring these innovations to our customers as quickly as possible and continue in “Setting a New Standard for Collagen Peptides!”

Justin McFarland
Co-Founder - American Grasslands