Key takeaways:
- The Protein Ball Co’s ‘Ballsy by Nature’ rebrand doubles down on clean, portionable snacks built for the GLP-1 generation.
- By keeping production inhouse, the brand maintains control over quality, innovation and integrity as it scales.
- Founder Matt Hunt’s message to other entrepreneurs: stay clean, expect chaos and keep rolling.
Almost 10 years on, the UK brand’s still doing what it set out to do: making small, honest protein snacks from ingredients you can pronounce. Back when it launched in 2016, ‘high protein’ usually meant a dense bar and a back-of-pack that read like a lab experiment. Under its new banner ‘Ballsy by Nature’, the Worthing-based company’s reminding everyone what it’s about – less lab, more kitchen.
Cofounder Matt Hunt says this isn’t a reinvention. It’s just the volume turned up. Over the past decade, he notes, many brands have defined the category with their high protein promises. “Unfortunately, the very same bars are often jam-packed with all manner of artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols, emulsifiers and unpronounceable ‘chemistry set’ ingredients – take a peek at their back of packs.”
The Protein Ball Co, by contrast, has kept its focus on real ingredients and minimal processing. “We’ve always stood for simple snacking,” Hunt says. “Now we’re saying it more clearly and with a bit more swagger.”
He’s right that the landscape’s crowded. What began as a gym-goer niche is now a full-on supermarket slugfest. While others chase bigger numbers and dessert-style flavors, The Protein Ball Co’s gone the other way – smaller portions, simpler recipes and snacks that behave like food, not formulas.
“It’s not about being flashy,” Hunt says. “It’s about staying true to our core beliefs and giving equal weighting to flavor and function.”
That mix makes sense in a world ruled by GLP-1s – snacks that hit the spot without overdoing it.
Bite-sized by design
If the protein bar belongs in a gym bag, The Protein Ball Co belongs in a handbag, glove box or desk drawer. “Grazing fits perfectly with how people actually eat today,” says Hunt. “It’s all about on-the-go, sharing formats and eating little and often – not chomping through big bars or big balls like our competitors.”
Each six-ball pack flexes around real life: a couple before a meeting, one after a workout, the rest later. “Younger snackers, busy professionals, older health-conscious individuals – and increasingly, the GLP-1 movement – are looking for portion control, real food and honest nutrition,” Hunt says. “We’re meeting that shift head-on.”
The idea’s clearly landed. The brand is now in Caffè Nero and WHSmith travel hubs across the UK and more than 10,000 retail points in the US. “North America feels electric right now,” says Hunt. “Consumer appetite for clean, functional snacking’s growing fast. Our format fits how people snack.”
Next up is the Netherlands and Germany, both warming quickly to ‘real-food grazing’.
Built, not bought
Hunt’s firm about keeping things close to home. “We make our own snacks and we buy our own ingredients,” he says. “Staying clean label and minimally processed isn’t a stretch; it’s our standard. ‘Nature’ is one of our core pillars alongside quality and people, and we don’t compromise on it.”
Owning production gives the business what Hunt calls its ‘kitchen advantage’. “Scaling doesn’t mean cutting corners. It means holding the line and doing it better. We’ve always been hands-on and that keeps us fast and flexible.”
A new six-figure production line’s coming online to open up formats the UK market hasn’t seen before. “Innovation isn’t a buzzword – it’s how we stay relevant and keep customers curious,” Hunt says. “We’ve got some genuinely new things lined up for 2026.”
Branding with backbone
The new look, crafted by Robot Food, carries the brand’s straightforward energy: bright, bold and to the point. “The new look’s more dynamic and energized,” says Hunt. “The vibrant Pantone colors, the movement in the logo, the confident tone of voice – it all gives our brand real presence on shelf.”
Each pack now carries Matt and Hayley Hunt’s signatures, a quiet nod to the brand’s independence. “We show the ingredients front and center to remind people we care about what goes in – and what stays out – of each bite.”
Sustainability’s had an upgrade, too. FSC-certified, fully recyclable paper pouches have replaced plastic; boxes are recyclable; paper hang-strips are being trialed. Even the date supplier runs half its operation on solar. For Hunt, it’s about progress, not polish. Small steps – a better pouch here, a recyclable tag there – still count. “We just keep nudging it forward,” he says.
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The post-protein bar pivot
For years, protein snacks were judged by numbers – grams, calories, macros – not by what they were made of. Hunt reckons that era’s ending. “When we launched, ‘high protein’ was all people cared about,” he says. “It didn’t seem to matter what else was inside, just that the protein number looked big. Finally, commonsense is prevailing.”
Consumers now read the back before the front. “People care about what’s in their food,” he says. “That’s pushed us to double down on naturally healthy, great-tasting products – because that’s the future of functional snacking.”
And as GLP-1s rewrite eating habits, portionable snacks that suit smaller, slower consumption are the ones gaining traction. The Protein Ball Co’s six-ball packs fit neatly into that rhythm – enough to satisfy, not so much that it tips into excess.
Rolling into the next decade
As the business edges toward its 10th year, Hunt’s clear-eyed about what it takes to stay in the game. Running a small brand hasn’t been a straight line, he admits – there’ve been wrong turns, dead ends and the odd financial sting. Deals fall through. Payments get missed. “You learn fast and you keep going,” he says. “That’s the game. That’s the lesson. We just keep rolling.”
The next phase will focus on innovation that fits modern appetites, with portionable, functional snacks designed for how people actually eat today.
If the protein bar boom was built on numbers, Hunt’s betting the next wave will be built on nuance: real food, straight claims and snacks that fit how people actually live. The Protein Ball Co might not be the loudest player in the room, but it’s stayed true to the language that built it.
What brands can learn from The Protein Ball Co
Nearly a decade in, co-founder Matt Hunt’s advice for fellow founders cuts through the noise:
Stay clean. “Be real. Be different. And make something you’d be proud to feed your own family,” he says. Don’t chase trends or cut corners just to compete – if you can make it clean and make it taste good, do it.
Expect chaos. “There are wrong turns, cul-de-sacs and uncomfortable losses,” Hunt admits. Delays, non-payers and supply snags happen – what counts is getting back up.
Keep rolling. Grit beats glamour in this business. “You’ve got to keep going, even when you feel like you can’t,” he says. “That’s the game.”
Own your process. “We make our own snacks and buy our own ingredients,” Hunt says. Control equals consistency – and cutting corners starts when you outsource what defines you."
Don’t just grow – evolve. Scaling doesn’t mean speeding up; it means getting smarter. “Holding the line and doing it better” is what keeps the brand agile and credible.
