UK performance nutrition brand Grenade is entering the U.S. market with a four-SKU protein bar lineup, securing placement at GNC, The Vitamin Shoppe, and Amazon at launch, with distribution expansion planned across convenience, grocery, specialty retail, and gym channels in the months ahead.
The U.S. Launch Lineup
The introductory range leads with two OREO-collaboration bars — OREO and OREO White — alongside two additional flavors, each delivering 20 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar per bar. That macro profile positions Grenade squarely against established U.S. incumbents in the functional snack aisle, where permissible indulgence and licensed flavor partnerships have become the dominant product development playbook.
Protein bars are growing at four times the rate of total protein snacks in the U.S., according to NielsenIQ's Snackonomics 4.0 report, making it the fastest-expanding segment in the broader snack market. Separately, 85% of U.S. consumers report actively seeking to increase daily protein intake — a behavioral shift that has drawn legacy confectionery brands, energy-drink companies, and international challengers alike into the fortified-snack corridor. Grenade, founded in 2010 by Alan and Juliet Barratt, built its European reputation on the premise that protein bars could lead with flavor rather than function, a proposition it is now replicating for U.S. retail and foodservice-adjacent channels.
Athletes and Activations
To build brand awareness, Grenade has signed a roster of elite athletes including UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall, five-time CrossFit Games competitor Arielle Loewen, 2026 CrossFit Women's Champion Aimee Cringle, and Alabama A&M football standout Cornelious "DIME" Brown IV. The ambassador strategy mirrors how brands like RXBAR and Quest Nutrition cultivated credibility in performance communities before crossing into mainstream grocery.
Beyond shelf placement, Grenade plans field activation at major fitness expos — including the Olympia in Las Vegas — along with sampling at gyms and college campuses. The brand has also secured a title sponsorship as the Official Protein Bar of Baller League, a six-a-side soccer property that blends sport with creator-economy content. The multi-channel activation approach reflects an operator reality familiar to foodservice buyers: trial generation at the point of lifestyle, not just the point of sale.
Channel Outlook
For operators and buyers tracking better-for-you snack procurement — from fitness center vending to college and university foodservice — Grenade's U.S. entry adds a well-capitalized European challenger to a shelf increasingly contested by functional beverage and snack brands competing on the same high-protein, low-sugar positioning. The brand's existing footprint in Australia, Canada, and across Europe gives it supply-chain depth that early-stage U.S. entrants often lack.
Co-founder Alan Barratt framed the expansion around dual-axis demand: "We know today's consumers want products that deliver on both taste and function, and that's exactly what Grenade was built for." The company's roadmap points toward national convenience and grocery doors as the next distribution layer — channels where protein snack velocity has reshaped category resets at major chains over the past 18 months.
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.
