zero-sugar
(5)
SkyPop Killed Its Protein Shakes to Put 10 Grams of Protein in Your Soda Break
The company formerly called Don't Quit discovered that its most interesting product did not belong in the gym bag. So it dropped the shakes, softened the sports talk and took protein soda to the supermarket aisle.
Tillamook Country Smoker
A backyard smokehouse became a $175 million snack business by keeping the fire real and the ingredients legible. Fifty years on, Tillamook Country Smoker is testing how far an Oregon craft story can travel.
CELSIUS
A Florida fitness drink spent two decades escaping the supplement aisle. Now CELSIUS, Alani Nu and Rockstar share one owner, one powerful distributor and a new problem: proving that three brands can move as one without losing what made each matter.
Taika
Taika is a San Francisco-based functional beverage company making ready-to-drink canned coffees and matcha lattes infused with adaptogens and functional mushrooms - ingredients like L-theanine, ashwagandha, and lion's mane - meant to deliver focused energy without the jitters or crash. Founded in 2019 by former Facebook engineer Michael Sharon and world-class barista Kalle Freese, the brand is plant-based and sweetened with monk fruit for zero added sugar. Its tagline, 'Feel Inspired, Not Wired,' captures the pitch: caffeine with calm, sold direct-to-consumer online and through retail.
Cirkul
Cirkul is a Tampa-based personalized hydration company that makes a reusable water bottle paired with snap-in flavor cartridges and a 'Flavor Dial' that lets drinkers control how much taste, vitamins, electrolytes or caffeine flow into plain water - with zero sugar and zero calories. Founded by former Dartmouth football teammates Garrett Waggoner and Andy Gay, the brand went viral on TikTok, became one of Walmart's fastest-selling home products, and reached a $1 billion valuation.