Protein Powder Deals Bear Fruit

Protein powders have been a very active category for licensing of late. While a variety of properties are represented, from celebrities and characters to sports IPs and videogames, food-related brands have dominated the sector. And most have been of the sweet sort, encompassing candy, cookies, cereal, restaurant offerings like pancakes and fountain drinks, and more. Marketers are enlisting these well-known and respected brands to encourage usage, combining a splurgy flavor, often a childhood favorite, with the benefits of strength and stamina that consumers are looking for from this category. 

Healthy brands, on the other hand, such as those from the world of fruits and vegetables, represent a gap in the licensed protein powder market. But a few such deals have started to emerge: 

• In January 2025, Chiquita Brands, represented for licensing by The Joester Loria Group, licensed AN Supps/Applied Nutrition for banana- and pineapple-flavored protein powders. Part of the AN Performance line, the hydration, pre-workout, non-stimulant, and whey protein powders debuted exclusively at The Vitamin Shoppe in varieties including banana-chocolate, banana-peanut butter, and pineapple-strawberry. 

• In early 2024, Dole partnered with Be Amazing for a line of vegan supergreens protein powders. Some of the items in the line featured fruit flavor combinations (including the inaugural release, orange peach mango), while others were tied to Dole Whip (in strawberry and pineapple), a fruit-flavored dairy-free soft-serve frozen dessert introduced in the early 1980s. Beanstalk represents Dole for licensing.

• The Welch’s brand returned to Ghost’s protein powder line-up in fall 2023, after a hiatus, as part of its Legend V3 range. The grower cooperative first collaborated with Welch’s in 2019, adding the grape flavor to its Legend and Amino (now Intra) ranges. It also markets a Welch’s energy drink, which debuted in 2024. 

Protein powder marketers tend to feature some fruit flavors, such as watermelon, mixed berry, mango-lime, or strawberry, among their non-licensed products. But, similar to the Dole Whip example above, they often gussy them up as fruit-based desserts or treats (e.g., strawberry cheesecake or lemon ice), which tends to make them more enticing to many consumers.