Nadine Lustre launches plant-based milk brand

MANILA — Actress Nadine Lustre has partnered with her boyfriend Christophe Bariou in creating Dehusk, a plant-based milk brand.

In ANC’s Headstart on Friday, Lustre who was with Bariou and co-founders Sam Tecuala and Quan Tan of Dehusk, talked more about the locally made product including its process, health benefits, and more.

Lustre also shared the importance of advocating the plant-based milk.

“For us really the first reason why we switched to more plant-based is really for the animals. We realized that these animals are actually individuals who are like us who deserve love and compassion and who deserve to exist in this world as well. And so knowing that we kind of realize that, you know me, I love eating meat, I love all of my cheese and all of that but then you know understanding how animal agriculture really works, that’s really a key component for us switching,” Lustre explained.

“Honestly it’s been the best. A lot of people ask me how being plant-based is like and I love it. We get to explore new ingredients, new food. There’s so many veggies and fruits out there that are available and it’s really interesting because when we cook now we get to explore, we get to experiment and create new dishes. And for energy as well, I have so much energy. A lot of people get really amazed because I go into indoor cycling classes and I don’t get tired. I always keep up while the others are they kinda stop and take a break. After classes they’re like ‘How are you doing that, what’s your diet?’ And I said ‘Well I’m plant-based so that’s probably one of the reasons why  I have so much energy, which feels good in general,” Lustre shared.

In the interview, Lustre said transitioning to a plant-based diet wasn’t an overnight thing for her.

“It was very challenging but if you have that core into wanting to change your lifestyle it really helps a lot,” said Lustre, who also admitted that it was a “crazy” experience for her venturing into business.

“Very challenging just because I entered a world that I’ve never explored before. So there’s so many things that I’m learning. …But it’s been an amazing thing so far also because the products that I’ve been involved with, they are all tied up to my values and my advocacies as well. So it’s all purpose-driven. I mean disrupting the dairy industry for Dehusk, that’s one of the things that we really want to champion. To change people’s mind when it comes to dairy and for people to try out new things as well and I guess to push forward a more plant-based lifestyle,” Lustre said.

In Southeast Asia, Dehusk was recently recognized as one of the top 100 start-ups in the Philippines for 2023.