PepsiCo Foods U.S. announced on May 21, 2026 the launch of PopCorners Protein, delivering 9 grams of protein per serving from a combination of pea protein and rice protein in three flavors: Hickory BBQ, Zesty Cheddar, and Cinnamon Delight. The product is popped and never fried, made with no artificial preservatives or flavors, and available in 5 oz. bags and 4-count multipacks. Rolling out at select retailers in late May, with nationwide availability in July 2026. Tina Mahal, Senior Vice President of Marketing at PepsiCo Foods, is the spokesperson. PepsiCo generated nearly $94 billion in net revenue in 2025.
The Product: Pea Protein Meets Rice Protein in a Popped Corn Format
PopCorners Protein’s protein system is the most disclosure-rich element of the announcement. The press release explicitly names the protein sources: pea protein, rice protein, and rice flour. This is a dual plant protein blend architecture, distinct from the single pea protein system in the Quaker Protein Rice Crisps and from the whey protein systems used in many conventional protein snack bars.
The combination of pea protein and rice protein is a recognized strategy in plant-based nutrition for achieving a more complete amino acid profile. Pea protein is high in lysine but lower in methionine and cysteine. Rice protein is lower in lysine but higher in methionine and cysteine. Together, the two complement each other to produce a more balanced amino acid distribution that more closely resembles a complete protein than either plant protein delivers independently. The announcement’s description of PopCorners Protein as offering a “complete source of protein” directly references this complementary amino acid strategy.
At 9 grams of protein per serving in a popped corn chip format, PopCorners Protein sits between the Quaker Protein Rice Crisps (6g, pea protein and whole grain rice) and the Quaker High Protein Instant Oatmeal (22g, arriving in July). It occupies the middle tier of PepsiCo’s protein claim architecture: higher than the Rice Crisps, lower than the forthcoming oatmeal, and hitting the “good source of protein” FDA threshold (10% of the Daily Value) that is the most actionable protein claim for mainstream consumer purchasing decisions.
The Three Flavors: Seasoning Architecture Across Sweet and Savory
The three flavor variants span both seasoning directions that PepsiCo’s own consumer research confirms are driving protein snack purchasing simultaneously.
Hickory BBQ is the savory-smoky entry. A hickory BBQ seasoning system requires a smoke flavor compound (hickory specifically, distinct from mesquite or applewood), a tomato or vinegar acidulant component for the BBQ tang, and a sugar or molasses-derived sweetness. The smoky BBQ flavor is the most established and most competitive of the three in the protein snack category, where competitors from Quest to Good Thins to Buff Baked have offered BBQ flavors across their protein platforms.
Zesty Cheddar is the savory-cheesy entry. A zesty cheddar seasoning system requires real or artificial cheddar cheese powder at the sharp, aged flavor intensity, alongside a tangy acidulant (buttermilk powder or citric acid) that delivers the “zesty” modifier above a standard mild cheddar flavor. For the PopCorners format, the cheddar seasoning must be applied to a pea-protein-enriched popped corn base without the dairy fat that naturally carries cheddar flavor in a conventional cheese puff application. The no-artificial-flavors restriction means the zesty cheddar must use real cheese powder or natural cheese flavor rather than artificial cheddar analogs.
Cinnamon Delight is the sweet entry and the most strategically interesting of the three. A sweet protein snack format has historically underperformed in the corn chip and popped snack category, where savory flavors dominate. The Cinnamon Delight’s presence in the launch confirms PepsiCo is betting on sweet protein snacking as a viable third purchase occasion, separate from the meal replacement and workout recovery occasions that savory protein snacks typically serve. PepsiCo’s own January 2026 survey found 65% of consumers want protein in their sweet snacks, a number that directly justifies this flavor inclusion.
The PepsiCo Protein Architecture: PopCorners as the Fifth Brand
The announcement explicitly lists PopCorners Protein within PepsiCo’s growing functional ingredient portfolio: Quaker Protein Rice Crisps, Quaker Protein Granola Bars, Quaker Protein Old Fashioned Oats, Quaker Protein Instant Oatmeal, SmartFood Fiber Pop, SunChips Fiber, Doritos Protein, Pepsi Prebiotic Cola, poppi Prebiotic Soda, and Starbucks Coffee & Protein. PopCorners Protein is now the fifth PepsiCo snack brand running a protein-fortified product alongside Quaker, Doritos, SmartFood, and SunChips.
The breadth of this portfolio is the most commercially significant context. PepsiCo is not running a single protein product. It is running a coordinated multi-brand, multi-format protein strategy that spans instant oatmeal (Quaker), popped rice crisps (Quaker), granola bars (Quaker), tortilla chips (Doritos), popcorn (SmartFood implied), and now popped corn chips (PopCorners). Each format adds a new occasion and a new consumer entry point to the protein category.
For pea protein isolate suppliers and rice protein suppliers serving PepsiCo’s production network, this five-brand protein portfolio represents a growing, multi-SKU procurement relationship rather than a single product innovation. The PopCorners Protein launch adds a new application format (popped corn chip) to the pea protein and rice protein procurement programs already supporting Quaker Protein Rice Crisps, creating a concurrent demand event across two distinct popped grain formats simultaneously.
The PopCorners Brand Context
PopCorners is a popped corn chip brand known for its distinctive triangular shape and air-popped texture. It was acquired by Frito-Lay (PepsiCo) in 2012 and has grown into one of the top better-for-you corn snack brands in the U.S. Its core differentiator is the “popped, never fried” format that produces a light, airy chip without the oil of conventional corn chips. The protein extension maintains that core format credential while adding the functional ingredient layer.
The PopCorners brand’s consumer base overlaps meaningfully with the better-for-you snack consumer who is also most likely to be seeking protein in their salty snacks. The brand’s existing equity creates a receptive audience for a protein extension that a conventional corn chip brand without better-for-you positioning could not access as directly.
Why It Matters for Pea Protein, Rice Protein, Hickory Smoke Flavor, Cheddar Powder, and Cinnamon Ingredient Suppliers
PopCorners Protein’s nationwide July 2026 launch at PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay snack manufacturing scale with a dual pea protein and rice protein blend delivering 9 grams of complete protein per serving creates a new sustained procurement program for pea protein isolate and rice protein concentrate at the particle size, flavor neutrality, and functional behavior specification required for integration into a popped corn chip base without compromising the characteristic airy, light texture that defines the PopCorners format at ambient temperature across retail shelf life. For pea protein isolate and rice protein concentrate suppliers, PopCorners Protein represents PepsiCo’s second simultaneous protein application in a popped grain format alongside Quaker Protein Rice Crisps, confirming that PepsiCo has developed the production capability to integrate protein enrichment into popped grain snacks across multiple brand platforms simultaneously.
The no-artificial-flavors restriction across all three PopCorners Protein flavor variants creates demand for natural hickory smoke flavor compound at the BBQ seasoning specification, natural cheddar cheese powder at the sharp and tangy “zesty cheddar” flavor intensity, and natural cinnamon flavor compound at the sweet spice intensity specification for a cinnamon-forward protein corn chip application, all without artificial flavor analogs at Frito-Lay’s chip seasoning production scale. For natural flavor compound manufacturers and real cheese powder suppliers serving PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay seasoning procurement program, the three-flavor simultaneous PopCorners Protein launch creates a concurrent demand event for three distinct natural seasoning systems applied to the same protein-enriched corn chip base, each requiring its own flavor development and natural source qualification.
The PopCorners Protein launch’s nationwide July 2026 rollout following a select market May introduction creates a phased production ramp that requires pea protein and rice protein inputs to be staged at qualified volume across Frito-Lay’s manufacturing network before the July national retail distribution window, adding to the existing pea protein procurement demand from the Quaker Protein Rice Crisps program that launched nationally in April 2026 and the Quaker High Protein Instant Oatmeal program arriving in July 2026 simultaneously. For pea protein suppliers and rice protein manufacturers serving PepsiCo’s functional foods production program, the convergence of three new protein product launches at the same July 2026 national retail window (Quaker Rice Crisps expanded, Quaker High Protein Oatmeal debut, PopCorners Protein nationwide) represents the highest simultaneous protein ingredient demand concentration in PepsiCo’s snack manufacturing history to date.
FAQs
What is PopCorners Protein? A new protein-fortified extension of the PopCorners popped corn chip brand delivering 9 grams of protein per serving from pea protein, rice protein, and rice flour. Popped, never fried. No artificial preservatives or flavors. Available in Hickory BBQ, Zesty Cheddar, and Cinnamon Delight.
When is it available? Rolling out at select retailers in late May 2026. Nationwide in July 2026. Available in 5 oz. bags and 4-count multipacks.
What is the protein source? A dual plant protein blend of pea protein and rice protein, with rice flour as the base grain, producing a complementary amino acid profile described as a complete source of protein.
What is the broader PepsiCo protein strategy? PopCorners Protein joins Quaker Protein Rice Crisps, Quaker Protein Granola Bars, Quaker Protein Oats, Quaker Protein Instant Oatmeal, Doritos Protein, SmartFood Fiber Pop, SunChips Fiber, Pepsi Prebiotic Cola, poppi Prebiotic Soda, and Starbucks Coffee & Protein in PepsiCo’s functional ingredient transformation.
What does the consumer data show? PepsiCo’s January 2026 survey of 1,000 nationally representative Americans found 73% are intentionally consuming foods with protein daily, and 54% are looking to snacking occasions specifically to prioritize protein intake.
About Source86
PopCorners Protein’s nationwide July 2026 launch reflects active demand for pea protein isolate at the particle size and flavor neutrality specification for a dual pea-and-rice protein blend in a popped corn chip base delivering 9 grams of complete protein per serving at Frito-Lay’s snack manufacturing scale, rice protein concentrate at the complementary amino acid and flavor specification for a plant protein blend application in a popped grain corn chip format, natural hickory smoke flavor compound for a BBQ seasoning application on a protein-enriched corn chip without artificial flavors, real cheddar cheese powder at the sharp and tangy flavor intensity for a zesty cheddar seasoning system on a popped protein corn chip, natural cinnamon flavor compound for a sweet protein snack corn chip seasoning application, and corn-based grain inputs at the popping specification for the PopCorners airy, never-fried corn chip format across Frito-Lay’s production network. At Source86, we connect salty snack manufacturers, functional protein snack brands, and CPG ingredient buyers with trusted bulk and wholesale sourcing partners for pea protein isolate, rice protein concentrate, natural smoke and BBQ flavor compounds, real cheese powder for snack seasoning programs, cinnamon and sweet spice flavor systems, and the ingredient sourcing infrastructure that supports dual plant protein integration in popped grain snack production at PepsiCo’s national manufacturing scale.
Whether your production team sources pea protein isolate for a popped chip protein application, rice protein for a complementary plant protein blend, or natural cheddar powder for a better-for-you snack seasoning program, Source86 is your bridge to the right manufacturing and supply chain partners. Contact Source86 today to start your sourcing search.
