Protein snack brand Rogue – launched by the team behind Dollar Shave Club and Liquid Death – has raised $2.5m to accelerate a national retail expansion.
The US company claimed to be challenging legacy snacking brands with its offer of canned snacks made up of “bold flavour, clean ingredients, and gut health support”.
Rogue has been available online since earlier this month and is set to roll out nationally across the US in 2,800 Walmart stores in July.
There are currently no plans to bring the snack to the UK market.
Rogue was developed in-house by Science Inc, the LA-based startup studio behind viral brands Dollar Shave Club and Liquid Death.
“Protein snacks have become a massive category, but consumers have been forced to sacrifice taste for function,” said Rogue co-founder Tommy Riggs.
“We created Rogue so you don’t have to compromise – you can have wild and delicious flavours, real performance benefits and clean ingredients in one snack.”
Its $2.5m pre-seed round features backing from early-stage VC firms Uncommon and Simple Food Ventures, as well as additional strategic investors.
The fresh capital will support inventory production for the Walmart launch, hiring across operations and retail, and preparation for broader wholesale distribution following the initial rollout.
Rogue will also use the money to help build its digital commerce strategy, with a network of health, wellness, and fitness influencers driving awareness and direct purchasing through TikTok Shop and Amazon.
The four SKUs (Spicy Chicken Sandwich Chips, Buffalo Chicken Wing Chips, Chocolate Chip Cookie Puffs and Churro Puffs) contain up to 20g of protein and active probiotics, and are made without seed oils or artificial ingredients.
“Protein snacking is a massive and growing category, but most brands are still being built for the old playbook of win the shelf first, figure out the brand later,” Science Inc general partner Michael Jones added.
“Rogue flips that model. We’ve built a digital-first brand with retail scale through Walmart. That ensures a national footprint from day one and combines product innovation with creator-led distribution to accelerate adoption.”
US demand for protein snacks is increasing, with the category projected to reach approximately $1.8bn in 2025 and grow at an annual rate of roughly 8%-9% over the next decade.
No comments yet