Elmhurst 1925 launches cleaner plant-based protein drinks at Sprouts

Elmhurst 1925 used Sprouts Farmers Market to make a pointed bet on where the ready-to-drink protein market is headed: not just higher protein counts, but cleaner labels that look more credible to mainstream shoppers.

The company launched its Clean Protein line nationally at Sprouts on May 18, 2026, making the chain its first national retail partner for the plant-based beverages. Each bottle delivers 27 grams of plant-based protein, 190 calories and as few as 3 grams of sugar, while leaving out gums, seed oils, artificial sweeteners and artificial flavors. That formulation is the pitch, and it is a sharper one than the usual protein-drink arms race built around calories, macros and sweetness.

Elmhurst has spent years staking out a minimalist identity, and this launch extends that play into a category where many consumers still expect chalky texture, long ingredient lists and an overly sweet aftertaste. The company says it was established in 1925 and rebranded in 2017 as a plant-based milk company built around its HydroRelease™ process. The brand’s history also runs through a major reset: Elmhurst Dairy closed in 2016, and the business was relaunched under second-generation owner Henry Schwartz as Elmhurst 1925. That background matters because the Clean Protein line leans on the same message of simpler, better nutrition that has defined the brand’s recent positioning.

Sprouts is the right proving ground for that argument. The grocer’s 2025 annual report describes a curated assortment of better-for-you products aimed at wellness-minded shoppers, and Elmhurst sees that audience as ready for a premium protein drink that feels less engineered than legacy sports nutrition. Jack Warren, Elmhurst 1925’s national sales director, said Sprouts was the ideal partner for the debut because its shoppers focus on ingredient transparency and nutritional discovery.

That makes the launch bigger than one more functional beverage reset. In a crowded protein market, the old formula was simple: more grams, louder claims, sweeter taste. Elmhurst is testing a different equation, one where plant-based sourcing, a short ingredient deck and a cleaner sensory profile are part of the value proposition. If shoppers accept that premium framing at Sprouts, it could signal that the next wave of RTD protein is moving from raw quantity toward formulation quality.