TGG’s Hot Take: The Protein Craze at Expo West 2025 – Are We Going Too Far?
Expo West 2025 has showcased an explosion of protein-packed products, from protein-infused water and protein pasta sauce to protein-enriched snacks, egg-based yogurt and dip, and salmon jerky. While innovation is the heartbeat of the food industry, it’s crucial to remember TGG’s guiding principle: “Just because a Job to be Done exists, doesn’t mean it’s always our brand’s job to solve it.”
This mantra resonates deeply as we navigate the sea of protein-enhanced offerings. Not every product needs to be a protein powerhouse. Some of the more unconventional items at the expo raise the question: Are we truly meeting consumer needs, or are we just jumping on the latest trend?
TGG curated a list of products that nail the protein proposition, and a handful of others that left us scratching our heads.
Here’s some of our TGG Team’s winners…
- Surfsnax: Salmon jerky made from 5 simple ingredients and packed with 12g of real protein per serving.
- Oolie: Egg-based dips and yogurts with impressively clean ingredients, the yogurt packs 11g of protein per serving and the dips have 2g of protein per 2tbsp serving.
- Mighty Spark Chicken Snack Sticks: Snack Sticks made from premium cuts of all-natural chicken that is raised with no antibiotics ever and no added hormones and 6g of protein per stick.
- Kodiak Protein Packed Granola: The breakfast brand already known for its high-protein, whole-grain products, launched in a new category with 17g of protein per serving.
- Good Culture: While not new-news, the brand was “at Expo West sampling various dippable combinations of its cottage cheese, serving them in collaboration with Fly by Jing and Simple Mills crackers while also sharing their plans to launch new formats that go beyond its plain cheese tubs and fruit-topped cups.”
Have these gone too far?
- Sturdy Sauce: Touting “the worlds first protein sauce” it packs 20g of protein per serving, fueled by a proprietary blend of hydrolyzed bovine collagen, hydrolyzed bovine bone broth, and whey protein isolate.
- Protein Pop: A non-carbonated, clear protein beverage that comes in cans and 4 fruity flavors – it packs 20g of whey protein isolate into each serving.
- Impossible Steak Bites: With 21g of plant-based protein per serving, these are a decent protein option for those who don’t eat meat but want the steak experience.
- Clear Protein Soda: A canned beverage with 21g grass-fed whey protein isolate per serving, its ultra-filtered, and claims to support “advanced recovery”.
Where do we draw the line between consumer desire and product-market fit? If you are a brand seeking to add protein to your lineup in some way, have you identified the Job(s) to be Done within your category and for your consumer that protein is a viable solution for first?
