After Lori Levine, the CEO of Scott’s Protein Balls, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, she was inspired to commit to a clean lifestyle. But she had trouble finding a healthy snack that wasn’t highly processed. Her husband Scott started experimenting in the kitchen and came up with a delicious recipe for peanut butter protein balls. They were a hit, and the company Scott’s Protein Balls was born. We caught up with Lori to learn more.
Tell us a little about your background.
I started my career as a CPA in a large accounting firm. Ultimately, I took time off from work to take care of my sons, Justin and Ben and found motherhood to be the most fulfilling job in the world. A number of years later I had some unfortunate health issues to deal with. I then decided to turn something negative into something positive. My husband Scott and I launched a business to help me and other people live a healthier lifestyle. With the current health trends being all about foods fresh from the fridge and the importance of having superfoods in your diet, we knew the timing was right to launch.
You were unexpectedly diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, which inspired you to commit to a clean lifestyle. Tell us about how Scott started making the protein balls for you during this time.
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo surgery and treatment, I traveled every day between Plainview, Long Island and NYU Langone Hospital for treatment for six weeks. It was a very difficult time for me and I relied on quick grab-and-go meals and a lot of protein bars. After my treatment was done I realized that in life there were so many things that are out of my control. But I also realized that there are also things that I can control, namely what I put in my mouth, how I treat my body, and what I allow myself to think in my head. I finally felt empowered and decided to get into the best shape of my life. I went to a nutritionist to help me get on a greener, cleaner eating path. She really helped me make changes in my diet that made me feel good and gave me more energy. The nutritionist also told me that I should stop eating protein bars. She said they are filled with calories, sugar, preservatives, and chemicals and sit on a shelf for a year.
Since I often ate protein bars as a quick snack or meal replacement, I had a hole in my diet and was frustrated. I would complain to Scott that I needed something to eat on-the-go that was fresh and healthy. Scott said that he was going to create something for me. He said he wished he had been able to do more for me while I was going through breast cancer treatment and was happy because now he could find a way to help me.
Tell us a little about the recipe process and how you came up with your variety of flavors.
Scott found a simple three-ingredient recipe for a peanut butter protein ball and then worked on the recipe until he created something that contained healthier ingredients, yet still tasted great. It was a lot of trial and error and many late nights. Once the peanut butter cacao ball was completed I started carrying them everywhere I went in little ziplock bags. Eventually I carried bigger and bigger bags because our family and friends started eating all of mine! Everyone started telling us we should start a business, but I was recovering and Scott had a fulltime job as a CFO and commuted to New York City every day. We laughed but never really thought we would have the opportunity to actually start a business. We started giving away bags of protein balls to anyone who asked and “Scott’s protein balls” became very popular around town.
People then started asking for more flavors, so Scott decided to make a protein ball using almond butter. That’s how snickerdoodle was created. Again, many nights making batches until he found the right mix. Later, a few people were asking if we could make a nut-free flavor because of nut allergies and that their kids couldn’t take the flavors with nuts to school. That sent Scott back to the kitchen to experiment with nut-free flavors and that’s how Brownie Batter and Confetti were born.
What started as a labor of love has now turned into a thriving business. How did you make the decision to turn Scott’s Protein Balls into a business?
When the pandemic hit, Scott was working from home, our oldest son had moved home from the city and brought his girlfriend (who was taking classes towards a specialty career) and our other son came home from college, but lost his internship because everyone was working from home. I said to Scott, let’s roll a lot of balls and launch and see if there could be a business here. In short order, we had over 100 customers primarily through word of mouth. We then decided maybe there was a business here. We quickly found out there was as we started selling four packs in many local stores in Long Island, Manhattan, and Westchester and then in Connecticut and Florida. Our protein balls also sell on our website in four, 10, or 20 packs and we ship to every state in the country.
Where can we find Scott’s Protein Balls in the Hamptons?
You can find us in many locations in the Hamptons, including The Golden Pear in Southampton, Bridgehampton and East Hampton, Goldberg’s in East Quogue and Sag Harbor as well as the Sag Harbor Cinema (lobby snack bar), Hampton’s Beach Bowls in Bridgehampton and parents can find us at the Children’s Museum of the East End in Bridgehampton.
Can you tell us a little about some of the events you are involved in this summer and some of the non-profits that you support.
The most significant non-profit we are partnered with is the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Our mission has always been to raise money to fund breast cancer research and now for the five-year anniversary of my diagnosis of breast cancer, Scott’s Protein Balls will be donating one percent of sales to BCRF. It was due to their research that my treatment for breast cancer wasn’t as severe or long as it otherwise might have been. Obviously, this is a cause near and dear to our family.
We have also partnered with many different charities for events in the Hamptons such as Hamptons Community Outreach, Southampton Fresh Air Home, Ellen’s Run, ALS, Hope for Depression, UJA, Stop the Stigma 5k, and Hudson’s Helping Hands. We are planning even more events and partnerships with local non-profits for this summer.
In addition, we have had many sampling events and pop ups with local fitness studios as well as with local retailers. Our list is always growing and we love to meet new people every day and have them try our products. You can find information about our upcoming events if you subscribe to our weekly newsletter or on Instagram @scottsproteinballs.
What’s next for Scott’s Protein Balls?
We have a number of initiatives underway that will be kicking off this summer. Following our recent launch in all three of The Golden Pear Cafes in the Hamptons and two Brooklyn Bread Cafes in Brooklyn, you will now be able to find Scott’s Protein Balls in 14 King Kullen stores, including their five Wild By Nature stores, beginning in July. We also expect to be expanding into other airport locations (we are currently selling at JFK and LaGuardia airports) this fall.
As for the product, we will be launching new versions of our popular nut-free line, which will remove almost all of the sugar from the balls. In addition, we will be launching limited edition versions (similar to the Red Velvet ball earlier this year) of our product throughout the year, with a fruit version likely to be the next limited edition run. Later this year, we expect to be introducing our next product called Scott’s Protein Powder. We are creating our own protein powder to be used in our products that will taste delicious and be clean with minimal ingredients.
We will also continue our partnership with many non-profits, including a fall participation in the Pink Promises event, among others, this fall.
Visit scottsproteinballs.com.
