Proda launched at Sprouts Farmers Market and online via Amazon earlier this year. It’s just the latest protein soda to hit shelves as the category gathers momentum, fast.
Jeff Church is no stranger to carving out new categories: a decade ago, he helped pioneer the cold-pressed juice space with Suja Juice and built it into a multi-million dollar brand. He now sees protein soda as the next revolution in the beverage space - and one with even bigger potential for growth.
Protein punch
Each 12oz can of Proda comes with 10g of clear whey protein isolate, 3g of fibre, no sugar, uses natural sweeteners, has zero lactose and is gluten and caffeine-free. Each can has around 45 calories.
Jeff Church turned organic into a mainstream juice option with Suja Juice: building it into a $100m+ brand over the first six years, with the company valued at $300m when it sold a 50% stake to Coca-Cola and other investors in 2015.
Church exited the brand in 2020: but is back with his eyes on the 2026 phenomenon of protein.
And, more specifically, it’s about how protein is revolutionizing the beverage space.
“Protein soda will be what energy drinks were to soda for the past 20 years,” said Church.
“Soda leaked one third of its original market size to help build a $20bn energy drink category... and protein soda will do the same thing.”
How so? It’s because there’s huge consumer demand for both soda and protein: and that creates ‘an intersection of two behemoth segments’.
Protein soda takes the best of both worlds: the fun and flavour of soda, with the functionality and demand for protein.
“60% of adult consumers take a protein enhancement or supplement and 50% of adults drink soda,“ said Church.
“And consumers don’t have to try to swallow chalky protein products anymore, they can now enjoy their daily soda while getting 10g of the cleanest protein in the market. There’s 50 million people in the US that fit here!"
But while the opportunity may be huge, the practicalities are a little more complicated.
Protein, which has been an important sector in snacks and bars and milk-based drinks for decades, has not slipped seamlessly into soda.
In fact, the chalkiness and powdery taste and bitterness and off-flavours associated have proved a major challenge for a category that’s all about flavour, fun and refreshment.
Church and Postlethwaite spent more than 18 months and 1,000 hours of R&D to create their drink.
The key challenge: most proteins break, cloud or create off-notes in a carbonated drink.
The duo’s answer for Proda is whey protein isolate: which creates a clear, crisp and refreshing soda that’s far from the think, milky protein drinks typically associated with protein.
Standing out from the crowd
It’s not just about protein entering the soda category.
It’s the next evolution of the growing functional beverage space.
Other protein soda brands to watch
SkyPop - founded by serial entrepreneur Mark French and backed by Keurig Dr Pepper and LA Libations
Koia - led by Chris Hunter, formerly of Four Loko
Clear Protein Soda - The latest line extension from Erika Peterson's Clean Simple Eats
So what’s the key to standing out in this increasingly competitive space? Church has four key pointers.
The first is taste: with 93% of consumers buying their beverages based on taste.
Then it’s about functionality that actually delivers. That means ‘meaningful, complete protein, with all nine essential amino acids, not just three, like a collagen’, he says.
And it’s about the brand: ‘something that people actually want to be seen with and drink daily’.
And finally its about showing up where consumers are and building awareness of both Proda, the brand, and protein soda, the category.
“We’re leaning into the fitness channel to create awareness among those consumers so when they do go into Sprouts they say, “Oh yea, I remember seeing Proda at my local gym!” said Church.
But it’s not just about competing within the functional beverage space. It’s about the next evolution of the modern soda space: where better-for-you beverages are now taking off in the functional direction.
That, in turn, puts protein soda as a challenger to the traditional soda space.
If protein soda can offer the same flavour and fun as traditional sodas with the bonus of a functional boost, then brands like Proda can step in and steal market share from even the most powerful legacy brands.
Flavour variety
Proda's line up includes seven on-trend ‘nostalgic-meets-modern’ soda flavours: Classic Orange, Shirley Temple, Cherry Lime, Strawberry Lemonade, Lemon Lime, Golden Apple and Root Beer.
Building a beverage brand
Drawing on his experience with Suja, Church is following a carefully planned roll-out for the soda.
“We’re taking a disciplined approach to launch: with focused distribution, strong velocity, and building real consumer pull before scaling too fast,” he said.
“The first phase is about winning in the right doors: natural foods retailer Sprouts, while building a strong DTC and influencer engine behind it.
“From there, it’s about expanding distribution based on establishing proof of concept within the segment, not assumptions.”
Careful brand building will ensure the brand can ride the growth of the protein soda category with a long-term trajectory in mind, he says.
“The goal over the first couple of years is to build a brand with real staying power, not just short-term hype.”
