SimplyFuel, the protein snack brand known for its clean-ingredient protein balls, has announced a strategic partnership with Humble Growth, a consumer-focused growth equity firm that partners with founder-led brands to help them scale with purpose.

The partnership comes as SimplyFuel continues its nationwide expansion, with retail distribution across Costco, Sam's Club, Walmart, and Target. Founded by sports dietitian Mitzi Dulan, RD, SimplyFuel has built a following by delivering nutritious protein snacks made with simple, clean ingredients, reportedly trusted by families, athletes, and everyday snackers. Before founding SimplyFuel, Dulan served as the Kansas City Chiefs team sports dietitian and made history as the first-ever team sports dietitian for both the Golden State Warriors and the Kansas City Royals.

The brand's origin story is also rooted in elite performance, it notes. During her 10th season as the Kansas City Royals Team Sports Dietitian, Dulan made her protein ball recipe for the players on a whim for the first time, and the players loved them, she says. Just six weeks later, the Royals won the 2015 World Series, Dulan received a World Series ring, and people began constantly asking her, "How can I buy your protein balls?"

"My whole career, I've been a nutrition entrepreneur," says Dulan. "During the Royals' playoff and World Series run, I shared the story behind the protein balls I'd been making for the team, and they quickly became popular around Kansas City. After the Royals won the World Series, people kept asking how they could buy them, and that's when I realized it was time to turn it into a business and SimplyFuel was born."

"I've built SimplyFuel with my heart, my hustle, and a lot of grit, largely without outside capital. This is our first institutional partnership, and it mattered deeply to me that it be with people I trust. I've known Andrew and Nick for years, and that relationship came first. As a sports dietitian, I also value that Andrew is a medical doctor, we both care deeply about evidence-based nutrition and fueling people the right way. Humble Growth brings both heart and real operating experience, and I'm incredibly grateful for their belief in what we're building," Dulan finishes.

Andrew Abraham, co-founder of Humble Growth and founder of Orgain, brings a combination of medical expertise and brand-building experience. He co-founded Humble Growth with Nick Giannuzzi, a CPG attorney and founder of Giannuzzi Lewendon, who brings decades of hands-on experience advising and scaling high-growth consumer brands, SimplyFuel says.

"I've long admired Mitzi, not just for what she's built, but for how she's built it," says Andrew Abraham, co-founder of Humble Growth. "She has an extraordinary passion for real, evidence-based nutrition and an authentic connection to her consumers. SimplyFuel is a brand with strong fundamentals, real momentum, and enormous upside ahead. I'm honored to partner with Mitzi and excited to help unlock the next chapter of growth as we work together to help SimplyFuel reach its utmost potential."

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