Protein coffee goes mainstream
The protein‑in‑coffee trend just went viral — people are stirring protein yogurt into their brews, and TikTok is full of how‑to videos. University of Richmond students also launched RALI, a canned coffee with 20 g of protein plus electrolytes that's now on Richmond store shelves, and cardiologists are urging a protein‑rich breakfast before coffee to blunt cortisol spikes. (1075koolfm.com) (henricocitizen.com) (ndtv.com)
Matt Lynch is named as RALI’s student CEO and the team says each can contains 100 milligrams of caffeine, a formulation the students describe as aimed at “steady energy.” (wtvr.com) The group rebranded from “Korra” after a trademark conflict and secured placements at local Richmond retailers including Blanchard’s, Libbie Market, Ginger Juice, Supper Club and For the Love of Flour Bakery. (wtvr.com) Members of the original Bench Top Innovations team are listed as Emerson Linden, Sequoia Kunkel, Matt Lynch and Ayah Karar, and the course’s judging panel included David Blanchard, Tyler Betzhold, Ari Soroken and Susan Brown. (urnow.richmond.edu) Students travelled to supplier and manufacturing sites — including Cargill and the Boombox facility — and worked with Sean McGrath on formula refinement and FDA compliance during product development. (urnow.richmond.edu) On social platforms the protein‑yogurt and protein‑coffee styles are measurable trends: the TikTok “High Protein Yogurt” channel shows tens of millions of views and the #proteinyogurt tag contains thousands of posts, while nutrition coverage previously flagged the “proffee” (protein‑plus‑coffee) format as a viral social trend. (tiktok.com) Cardiologist Alok Chopra has urged eating a balanced breakfast with protein and healthy fats before drinking coffee, explaining that the cortisol awakening response can be amplified by caffeine and lead to jitters or energy crashes if coffee is consumed on an empty stomach. (ndtv.com) RALI’s own site publishes a store‑locator map for in‑market availability, and university coverage dates the Bench Top Innovations project writeup to January 8, 2026 while local outlets report the student brand’s public launch happened in March. (rali.coffee)
