What these 4 founders did differently to stand out in the crowded protein market

What these 4 founders did differently to stand out in the crowded protein market

Protein is suddenly everywhere: in ramen, ice cream, pizza, and even soda. Celebs are getting in on the niche protein action, too. Just this year, Khloe Kardashian launched Khloud popcorn, and Serena Williams signed on as health advisor for wellness brand Ritual.

They’re all part of a wave that's upending the $56 billion protein market. While 70% of U.S. adults actively try to consume protein, according to a 2025 International Food Information Council survey, the forms they're choosing look nothing like the chalky shakes and dense bars that dominated for years.

On Shopify stores alone, protein coffee sales exploded 507% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, as traditional shakes plummeted 40%. Entrepreneurs are completely reinventing the protein category with fresh angles. But the brands thriving today aren't the ones blindly chasing what's hot. Instead, they're those led by founders solving genuine problems.

The flavor-first philosophy: Ending chalky aftertaste

When other protein brands were focused on cramming as much protein as possible into their products, Aamir Malkani was obsessing over something else entirely: why everything tasted so terrible.

"Protein products have this reputation," he says. "People buy them for what they do, not because they enjoy them." This insight led him to create protein snacks people would actually crave, not merely tolerate.

Malkani launched Plant Up with a line of high-protein plant-based frozen appetizers, followed by healthy snack puffs. His approach flips the category on its head: flavor first, health benefits second.

Prepared protein foods are seeing a 194% year-over-year increase in sales among businesses using the Shopify platform, and Malkani’s products are riding that trend. But what if the protein mania is just a fad? “We talk about ourselves as a functional foods company, not just protein,” he says. “Protein is selling today, so we're doubling down. Maybe next year it’s creatine or collagen.” (Collagen product sales are up 105% year over year. Maybe he’s onto something.)

Plant Up's protein puffs eliminated the chalky aftertaste that plagued the category. Though they’re plant-based and protein-packed, the brand chose not to lead with labels that may alienate average consumers. The flavor-first approach has propelled the brand into over 1,600 Canadian stores in three years, with U.S. expansion set for early 2026.

The viral pivot: Turning family drama into brand gold

“93% of drink businesses fail. I pray for you.” It wasn't the pep talk most founders hope for.

When Vy Cutting received this text from her mother about her protein soda startup, she did what any savvy entrepreneur would do: She posted it on TikTok. The family drama went viral, propelling Feisty Drinks into U.K. retailer Selfridges almost overnight.

Feisty’s viral mother-daughter exchange wasn’t an isolated moment. “My mom thought I was going through a life crisis and was not on board with this whole project,” says Cutting. “She was sending me messages like, ‘Why are you doing this?‘” These, too, she posted to TikTok.

It became a deliberate strategy for a new brand in a noisy space. Cutting, a former fashion designer, transformed personal vulnerability into Feisty Drinks' core differentiator.

“I very hesitantly built my company in public in February,” Cutting admits. “I had never used TikTok before. I gave it a go and really hesitated because I'm a bit of an introvert, but it's been the one thing that's really moved the needle for me.”

That needle moved all the way to premium retail placement. After her family drama gained traction, she landed partnerships with Harrods and Whole Foods UK, too. Even Cutting’s mother, the brand’s original skeptic, eventually signed on as head scientist to develop the soda’s formula.

The protein soda concept emerged from Cutting's personal frustrations after a knee injury led her to strength training—and the inevitable quest to increase protein intake. She was turned off by shakes, the dominant protein drink on the market. “The clumps! I didn't really enjoy that,” she says. “And the chewy protein bars were no better.”

As traditional protein shake sales declined, Feisty tapped into a growing desire for functional beverages that don't scream “supplement” and embraced authenticity to find her audience.

The health hack: Crafting sauces that supplement

When Nicole Glabman was diagnosed with PCOS and was told to consume more protein—and avoid condiments—she wasn’t interested in compromise. “The nutritionists said, ‘Sauce is an empty calorie. Use it sparingly.’ I was like, ’That’s not gonna happen,’” she says.

Working full-time at Uber while building her side business, she spent two years in R&D developing high-protein, high-fiber sauces that turn any meal into functional food.

She’s the Sauce launched with a preorder that sold 400 bottles in 48 hours. “I turned off preorders because I was like, holy s---, I don't know if my manufacturer is ready for this,” she says.

While Glabman set out to solve a personal health problem, she found an audience that was seeking something similar. That audience eventually widened to include those with other health issues. And soon, she found more unexpected customers, namely parents looking for less sugary alternatives for their ketchup-loving kids.

“Even my grandparents were like, ‘This would be great for us. We're deficient in so many of these things,’” she says. “I was so zoomed in on people like me, but there were so many more people out there that this could help.”

Glabman's experience demonstrates how looking where others aren't can uncover untapped opportunities and unexpected audiences.

The gender gap: Filling the void in women's nutrition

While the industry chased mass appeal, Michelle Razavi and Nikki Elliott built for someone specific. Their radical insight? Sometimes the biggest opportunity lies in deliberately narrowing your market.

As fitness trainers watching women struggle with protein options, Elavi’s founders saw the gap hiding in plain sight. Women make up the majority of all purchasing decisions and are seeking protein-rich diets more than ever. Yet the market offered almost no products designed exclusively for their needs.

Their creation—a protein brownie that's vegan, gluten-free, and sweetened only with dates—goes beyond muscle building, focusing on women’s concerns, such as metabolism, hormone balance, and hair health.

This clarity of purpose gave Razavi the confidence to do something audacious: cold email the global Whole Foods buyer directly. "I crafted a pitch email about this protein brownie we'd literally just launched," she says. "Within a couple hours, he got back to me." That exchange led to placements in 50+ stores.

Even Elavi’s packaging breaks industry rules. “People have 0.2 seconds to look at something. They make snap decisions,” says Razavi. Rather than prioritizing the brand name on the product, the packaging clearly states what’s inside—right up top.

But perhaps Elavi's most powerful differentiator is its approach to marketing. "My whole North Star is to storytell, not sell," Razavi says. "Consumers know when they're being sold to. When we allow them to connect with us in an organic, authentic way, they psychologically feel like they want to be part of the brand."

In a protein landscape dominated by faceless muscle-building promises, Elavi's women-first, story-driven approach carved out a profitable niche that larger competitors had overlooked entirely.

Problem solvers win the protein wars

The protein craze shows no signs of slowing. Just last month, a new brand, BoostCous, launched protein in an entirely new format: couscous.

But even if protein gives way to the next nutrition craze, the principles these nimble entrepreneurs demonstrate remain evergreen: build from personal necessity, refine with market insights, and deliver with authenticity.

This story was produced by Shopify and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.