Michael Meadows and Paul Reiss: Ice Cream’s Protein Partners
Five years ago, high-protein ice cream sounded like a niche experiment. Today, it’s one of frozen’s hottest battlegrounds. Michael Meadows and Paul Reiss saw the opportunity early, launching Protein Pints in 2022 with the idea that consumers shouldn’t have to choose between indulgence and nutrition. That bet has paid off. The brand is now in more than 15,000 stores nationwide and recently expanded beyond pints with the launch of Protein Pops. Despite being just 25 years old, Meadows and Reiss have helped define a fast-growing corner of the frozen category, proving that younger founders can move just as quickly as the trends they’re chasing. With competition heating up from legacy ice cream makers and protein-focused startups alike, they’ve already secured something many entrepreneurs spend decades pursuing: first-mover credibility in a category that suddenly everyone wants to enter.