HEALTH WARRIOR acquired by PEPSICO

Founded in 2011 by three college friends, Dan Gluck, Nick Morris and Shane Emmett, Health Warrior is a U.S. food brand built around nutrient-dense, plant-based ingredients. The company makes nutrition bars using chia and pumpkin seeds, along with other plant-based protein offerings such as mug muffins and protein powder. Its products are non-GMO, gluten-free and formulated to be lower in sugar than conventional alternatives. The founding team, former college athletes, started eating chia daily after reading about its nutritional profile, and turned that habit into a business aimed at making nutrient-dense foods more accessible to American consumers. Health Warrior sells through grocery stores nationwide, on Amazon and via its own direct-to-consumer site, healthwarrior.com. The brand operates from Richmond, Virginia, where its chief executive continued to lead the business after the 2018 acquisition by PepsiCo. That deal placed Health Warrior within The PepsiCo HIVE, an internal entity created to grow emerging, smaller brands. The company positions itself at the intersection of plant-based nutrition and convenience, targeting health-conscious shoppers seeking lower-sugar, superfood-based snacks.