The Unjury Story

Unjury® was started by the wife and husband team of Martha Krachenfels MS RD, and Jerome Krachenfels, in 2002.

Martha Krachenfels MS RD

The seed was planted back in 1984 when Martha was completing her thesis and studying the nutritional status of a population of seniors in Boston.

Even back then, it was clear to her that seniors got frail from insufficient protein intake, even more than from aging itself. Now, 36 years later, that position is increasingly supported by medical research.

Then in 2001, Martha’s dad was getting radiation treatments for cancer, and the radiation caused burns that deteriorated into what are now called pressure injuries. They became very serious.

The key nutrition recommendation for pressure ulcers is very high intake of high-quality protein. Unfortunately, the hospital directed him to use a common all-purpose nutrition drink that was not at all high in protein. That product had a “perfect storm” of deficiencies:

That product had a “perfect storm” of deficiencies:

  • He didn’t like it
  • It upset his stomach, and
  • Its protein content was far below what he needed

Understandably, this was frustrating for a master’s degree dietitian to see her father continue to suffer from, of all things, inadequate nutrition.

We began searching for existing products and didn’t find anything that was:

  • Very high-quality protein and
  • Highly tolerable and
  • Tasted great

At that point, we dedicated ourselves to finding or creating our own protein solution for the sake of her father. Protein was a passion, but not a business.

That began the journey to develop what was to become Unjury® Protein – not just the products, but a company committed to providing patients – customers - with the highest quality, highly tolerable, truly great tasting protein and vitamins. (Unjury® didn’t get launched in time for her dad.)That began the journey to develop what was to become Unjury® Protein – not just the products, but a company committed to providing patients – customers - with the highest quality, highly tolerable, truly great tasting protein and vitamins. (Unjury® didn’t get launched in time for her dad.)

We knew that even with great quality, we wouldn’t succeed without great taste. Martha and some very talented flavor experts created taste masterpieces that patients raved about when we started, and still do today.

Even more important than taste, the guiding principle was quality. We decided from the outset that quality would come before profitability. We would never sacrifice quality to cut costs, the way businesses so often do, because people deserve the highest quality in a product so critical to health. We believed we could make that work for a business – even though we would compete with corporations that spent less on products. Of course, it did work; customers appreciated the difference.

Dietitians, doctors and nurses highly recommended Unjury® products to patients, but the reverse happened too! Patients told professionals how much they loved Unjury®. Then more and more professionals saw better results and began recommending Unjury® as their top choice for protein.

Our initial focus was on cancer patients - such as Martha’s father - who need protein to heal from the effects of treatments. Along the way, we were discovered by weight loss surgery patients who appreciated the superior taste and quality. Now, our products help patients/customers who need more and better protein for almost all medical conditions and health goals: weight loss (via surgery or diet), diabetes, renal failure, ailments related to cancer and cancer treatment, pregnancy, healthy aging and a desire for good health.

The Unjury® Today

Today, Unjury® is trusted like no other brand. It is
recommended at all of America’s Top Hospitals.

Department heads at some of the best-known hospitals in America have said:

  • “Everybody thinks your products are great!”
  • “I’m your biggest fan”
  • “I personally lost 40 pounds using your product.”

But the best endorsements come from patients who tell us, “I have tried other proteins, but Unjury® Saved My Life!”, and, for example, from the doctor and dietitian who said their patient, a 2-year-old boy, had done poorly after a week of using a protein from another big company with similar-sounding ingredients, but he got better in a week using UNJURY® Protein.

- Jerome Krachenfels

References:

Paddon-Jones D, Short KR, Campbell WW, Volpi E, Wolfe RR. Role of dietary protein in the sarcopenia of aging. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008; 87:1562S–1566S/

Volpi E, Campbell WW, Dwyer JT, et al. Is the optimal level of protein intake for older adults greater than the recommended dietary allowance? J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2013 Jun;68(6):677-81.

Paddon-Jones D, Campbell WW, Jacques PF, et al. Protein and healthy aging. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Apr 29.

Layman DK. Dietary Guidelines should reflect new understandings about adult protein needs. Nutr Metab. 2009 Mar 13;6:12.