Colostrum is the first milk produced by a mammal after birth. Rich in immunoglobulins, growth factors and enzymes, it is biologically designed to protect a newborn in the first hours of its life. For endurance athletes, it is interesting for another reason: intense blocks of training put considerable strain on the immune system. This is exactly where BE THE CHANGE colostrum comes in.
What makes BE THE CHANGE different
The colostrum from BE THE CHANGE comes from Eastern Switzerland and is cold-filtered — a multi-stage process below 40 degrees Celsius that removes fat and casein without destroying the bioactivity of the immunoglobulins. Pasteurization, as is common in the food industry, is not used. The result: Colostrum Gold Standard contains over 60 percent immunoglobulin G (IgG), while the highly concentrated Colostrum IgG variant contains 75 percent. Anyone who knows that commercially available products often have significantly lower values will understand why this is relevant.
The raw material basis is surplus colostrum from the first 24 hours after birth — material that remains unused on conventional farms. BE THE CHANGE calls this upcycling, and that is not a marketing term: the cows give more than the calves need. This surplus is collected, processed and nothing is lost.
SWISS WOW COW — Agriculture as Part of the Product
Behind the colostrum is a separate agricultural project: SWISS WOW COW. BE THE CHANGE does not simply work with anonymous suppliers — the company knows the name of every single mother animal that contributes to the product. Access to pasture, species-appropriate feed, animal welfare standards — this is all part of the project, not just a promise on the packaging.
Why is this relevant for athletes? Because colostrum is a product that is directly dependent on the conditions in which the animals are kept. Stress hormones, feeding, environment — all this influences the composition of the first milk. SWISS WOW COW is an attempt to control this variable.
Colostrum is not the most obvious product in the cycling range. It's not a gel, it's not a bar, it's not a protein shake for after the session. But for athletes who repeatedly fall ill or recover slowly during hard training blocks, it is the most unusual and possibly most interesting product we stock.