Be LOVE™ launched Power + Restore™ on June 29, a non-carbonated clear whey protein drink delivering 15 grams of protein per can, with national retail placement at Sprouts Farmers Market secured at launch. The move marks the Austin-based functional beverage brand's entry into the protein drink category and signals how better-for-you brands are pressing hard on the clear-protein format to capture consumers who have abandoned thick, heavy shakes.
The product is built by Kurt Seidensticker, who founded Vital Proteins and helped move collagen from a niche ingredient into a mainstream billion-dollar wellness category. That founder pedigree matters for retail buyers: it accelerates trust with category managers and compresses the timeline between startup launch and shelf placement at natural grocery chains like Sprouts.
What's In the Can
Each Power + Restore™ can contains 13 grams of clear whey protein isolate and 5 grams of collagen peptides for a 15-gram total protein count, zero sugar, 100% Daily Value of essential vitamins and minerals including Vitamin C, Zinc, and B-vitamins, and no artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners. The non-carbonated, light format is a deliberate departure from the dense meal-replacement shakes that still dominate gym-channel distribution. Six flavors span the lineup — Strawberry Swirl, Orange Dream, Rocket Pop, Cherry Vanilla, Peach Mango, and Lemon Drop — with Rocket Pop, Lemon Drop, and Cherry Vanilla exclusive to Sprouts in-store. BPA- and PFA-free packaging rounds out the clean-label positioning.
For foodservice and hospitality operators sourcing functional RTD beverages — hotel fitness centers, wellness spas, stadium concessions, corporate dining — the clear-protein segment is one of the faster-moving sub-categories in chilled functional beverage right now. Light-format protein drinks are pulling incremental purchase occasions from consumers who previously skipped protein altogether rather than commit to a heavy shake.
Retail and Distribution Strategy
The brand's distribution footprint at launch covers Sprouts Farmers Market nationwide, direct-to-consumer at drink.love, and Amazon. That three-channel approach — specialty natural retail, DTC, and marketplace — is increasingly the baseline launch architecture for functional beverage brands targeting health-and-wellness consumers. Exclusive flavor SKUs for Sprouts are a standard retail-partnership lever that gives the chain a merchandising story while giving the brand a reason for shoppers to visit the aisle.
Be LOVE™ enters the protein SKU alongside its existing Energy + Restore™ and Hydration + Balance™ lines, and maintains its One for Ten partnership with GivePower, through which each can purchased funds one day of clean drinking water for ten people via solar-powered desalination infrastructure. Purpose-driven purchase mechanics have demonstrated measurable lift in the natural grocery channel and are increasingly a line item in retail buyer decks.
For operators evaluating functional beverage procurement and brand-launch timing, the Be LOVE rollout is a clean case study in sequencing: founder credibility, natural-retail anchor, exclusive SKU strategy, and omnichannel availability from day one. Brands entering the clear-protein segment without a comparable retail relationship at launch are likely to rely more heavily on DTC programmatic spend and Amazon advertising to build velocity before a second retail pitch.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
