# @jakeheyen on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DHlwXDOvmhu
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/32177225-jakeheyen-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/44438b05b5.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-03-24T17:14:43.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Jake Heyen (@jakeheyen) — https://gondola.cc/jakeheyen

## Caption

How @musclemilk went from a breast milk inspired product to a $450 million dollar supplement brand 👇

So let’s rewind to the beginning…

Greg Pickett decided to buy a brand from his employer called CytoSport. 

He renames it to Muscle Milk because he believed breast milk was the most nutritious food ever and he wanted to create a supplement with a similar profile.

At first, it was just a powder for bodybuilders and it worked for them because they took pride in drinking hardcore, nasty stuff.

But it wasn’t catching on in mass market.

Then 6 years later, in 2004, everything changed - Greg realized that flavor mattered.

If they wanted to go mainstream, they had to make it taste good, like a dessert.

So they started small batch testing new flavors and eventually they hit a winner.

They made a vanilla flavor that tasted like dessert and also repackaged the product in a convenient bottle.

Suddenly retailers like Walmart came calling.

Fast forward to 2014 and they sold to Hormel Foods for $450 million.

But here’s the craziest part of the sale.

They didn’t sell their flavors to Hormel - they just sold the brand and operating business.

They kept their flavors in a company called Flavor Insights, which is still making money today.

So even after selling Muscle Milk for $450 million, they still own arguable the most valuable part of the business.

#musclemilk #protein #supplements #marketing #branding #business #health #wellness #fitness #workout

## Stats

- **Views:** 7,982
- **Likes:** 490
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 10

## Credits

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jake Heyen | @jakeheyen | https://gondola.cc/jakeheyen | Creator |
| Trayvion Biddle | @traybiddle | https://gondola.cc/traybiddle | Video Editor |

## Tags

business, fitness, branding, musclemilk, supplements, workout, protein, marketing, health, wellness

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