Sahar Sheida, chief innovation officer at KOS, said the new ownership team initially focused on what was happening “underneath the hood,” including formulation, manufacturing, ingredient sourcing and quality control. She noted that the brand wanted to build on the trust KOS had established in the vegan and plant-based protein space.
Once infrastructure was tightened up, Sheida said the company could start looking into where KOS was headed next.
“I’m always trying to look down the rabbit hole,” she said. “I’ve been in this industry for more than 20 years, and I think we’re living through one of the most exciting periods I’ve ever seen in nutrition and supplementation. So I personally saw this tremendous opportunity to take a brand that people already trusted and introduce a much more sophisticated level of formulation and innovation.”
Rather than viewing the transition as a correction course from the previous business, Sheida said they’re more focused on creating closer connections between formulation, sourcing, manufacturing and finished products.
“For us, manufacturing isn’t something that happens after innovation. It’s actually part of the innovation,” she said, adding that manufacturability, stability, consistency and quality are considered from the beginning of product development.
That approach has supported KOS’ expansion into categories including creatine, longevity and microbiome health. Sheida said product development starts with science and consumer needs rather than just following social media trends.
Among the new offerings is Smart Creatine, which combines creatine with ingredients including alpha-GPC, PQQ and NMN to target physical and cognitive performance.
Sheida said the expansion represents an “evolution rather than a departure” for KOS.
“Being plant-based doesn’t mean you have to stay in the protein aisle forever,” she said.
Looking ahead, Sheida expects continued innovation across nutrition, performance, cognition, longevity and metabolic health, with consumer trust remaining central to the strategy.
“I want when our consumers go out and they look at the aisle and they say, ‘Oh, wow, I didn’t expect this from KOS.’ But because it is KOS, I know it’s going to be science driven. It’s going to be truthful. It’s going to be transparent.”
