Protein-packed pallets: Sam’s Club deal pushes SimplyFUEL balls to record production (and Mitzi Dulan is rolling with it)

Juggling more than 50 million protein balls in 2024 is paying off for SimplyFUEL, Mitzi Dulan said, noting production quadrupled during the past year after adding retail giant Sam’s Club to its wholesale lineup.

Mitzi Dulan, SimplyFUEL, stands outside a Sam’s Club store where her protein balls are now sold; courtesy photo

The founder and CEO is already riding that momentum in 2025, she said, teasing another big retailer launch in April. It’s been almost 10 years since the Kansas City Royals first made her protein balls famous during the team’s 2015 World Series run and production has gone from 300 hand-rolled balls a day (with the help of friends) to a 650,000-balls-a-day operational juggernaut.

“It has really been crazy,” said Dulan, who also is a registered dietician and the former team nutritionist for the Royals. “I’ve spent much of 2024 getting ready for the launch of Sam’s, which happened in August, and it immediately did quite well. That was a launch of 200 of about 600 stores, and then they let us know they wanted to launch nationwide.”

“So it’s like eight months of just trying to keep up with everything,” she added.

On top of Sam’s Club — where the protein balls were the item of the week in early January — SimplyFUEL’s protein balls are available at Costco stores in five of the retailer’s eight regions, including as an everyday item in two of the regions, plus Kansas City. The company first launched with Costco in early 2023, hitting Kansas City-area stores later in the year. Dulan said she also saw growth in Amazon sales in 2024.

Mitzi Dulan, SimplyFUEL, poses next to her protein balls, which are now on sale at Sam’s Club; courtesy photo

“A year ago, I had one (ball-rolling) machine, and now I have four machines,” she continued. “Now, I’m really trying to continue the momentum and am grateful for the opportunities with Costco and Sam’s. I think there’s different opportunities coming our way and I’m just trying to be smart because we’re still a really small team.”

Mitzi Dulan, SimplyFUEL, poses inside her production space; courtesy photo

From the archives: Baller move: With hometown Costco deal taking shape, Mitzi Dulan is getting her own protein-fueled boost — a first paycheck 

Right before her 2024 launch with Sam’s Club, Dulan added to her team, she said, which will allow her to focus more on building the brand.

“I finally hired someone full time for operations in July, which was not a week too soon,” she explained. “He was thrown into it. So that’s definitely been helpful.”

Last year, SimplyFUEL launched a partnership with the Royals — which Dulan is hoping to continue this season — and she was asked to speak to employees in the southeast region of Costco, which plans to highlight the business in its supplier inclusion program as a women-owned business.

“I was the only supplier at this meeting, and I got to share my brand story,” she continued. “But I also got to talk to them about nutrition and fitness. So that was just amazing. And the support and feedback was really remarkable.”

In addition to a new retailer launch in April, Dulan said, she hopes to start selling on TikTok Shop, continue fielding interest from other retailers, hire additional team members, and partner with sports moms as ambassadors in 2025.

“I want to put more focus on marketing,” she added. “We’ve been very fortunate that the product resonates and has a broad appeal. I think we’ve been lucky to have found the product market fit and I’m trying to get the word out even more now.”

With the ramped-up production and growth — and unique challenges of operating a food business — also comes stress, Dulan noted, so she is also focusing on her physical and mental health.

“I think just as entrepreneurs, there’s the whole up-and-down cycle of, ‘Oh my god, this is so amazing and great,’” she explained, “and then 15 minutes later, you can get an email or something that knocks you back down. That’s why taking care of myself is so important.”