6 Influencer-Founded Food Brands To Buy And 3 To Avoid

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

It would seem that formulating innovative food brands is the "thing to do" if you're in the influencer world. Is it just me, or does it seem that Target's grocery shelves are riddled with celeb-founded products nowadays? I'm constantly inundated with social media ads for so-and-so's new candy brand or wellness beverage, and I can hardly get through a YouTube video without the creator's food being brought up. I'm naturally skeptical when I see such releases — why is MrBeast qualified to be the new Willy Wonka? — so I decided to put a few influencer-founded food brands to the test in today's roundup. 

I'd already heard of a decent number of the products featured in this piece, and the ones I didn't know about I found on other blogs featuring influencers' food products or just via social media ads. Surprisingly enough, I found a pretty even split between foods to buy and avoid, primarily based on how well they stood up to other comparable products (for more about my methodology, scroll to the end of this piece). Most of the above products were scored at my local Target, while I had to order a few online. If you've been wondering if your favorite influencer's food brand is worth buying, keep reading — I may have made a determination for you. 

If you already know of Alex Cooper, it's probably as the creator of "Call Her Daddy," a raw, unfiltered podcast with an audience of millions. No subjects are off-limits for Cooper, who regularly talks about politics, sex, and pop culture on her podcast with celebrities like Kamala Harris and Miley Cyrus. Cooper is now the star of a docu-series on Hulu; "Call Her Alex" explores her rise to fame and the resulting success of her "media empire." Something else Cooper's added to her resume? Unwell Hydration, a beverage line designed to make wellness easier to achieve. 

The hydration brand features drinks (and powdered stick-style packages) that can give different "boosts" depending on what the consumer needs to get more of. Some drinks feature 10 grams of protein, while the others boast hydration and focus benefits. I tried the "focus" options in mango citrus and strawberry flavors, and can attest that they're pretty delicious — the flavor of each is bright and juicy, and identifiable without being too strong. Among the nutrients delivered are thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, and magnesium; they're also a good source of electrolytes and have some gentle caffeine from green coffee extract. Plus, I love that they're not packed with sugar (each bottle only has 4 grams of added sugar). I'll be keeping a stockpile of these on hand for whenever I feel a little unwell.

If you don't already know, you can probably guess who's behind the Khloud brand just by its name. Yep, Khloe Kardashian has taken it upon herself to hop on the protein bandwagon by launching a "protein popcorn." I'll admit, I think the marketing is going a little over the top. While the brand touts 7 grams of protein per serving, the serving size varies depending on what flavor you get, and is actually pretty large — you have to eat 3 cups to get all 7 grams promised. Even though I don't know if I would tout this as being a protein-filled snack, I can't deny that it tastes pretty good and satisfies my snacking urges.

I love the white cheddar flavor. It tastes similar to Smartfood's brand (you know, the famous black bag of white cheddar popcorn) and does at least have some protein in the equation. I demolished that bag faster than I care to admit. The olive oil and sea salt flavor is a bit of a different story — I found it to be kind of bland, but it's still a satisfying treat, and sprinkling some of my own sea salt in the bag spruced it up nicely. If you're looking for a better-for-you alternative to a lot of other bagged popcorns out there, I can definitely recommend Khloud. 

Up next, we have Lunchly, an attempt at a modernized take on everyone's favorite childhood lunch, Lunchables. This collaborative effort between MrBeast, Logan Paul, and KSI comes in four varieties: "The Pizza," Fiesta Nachos, Turkey Stack 'Ems, and BBQ Chicken Dippers. They're undeniably attractive on the surface — each brightly colored box is pretty large and fooled me into thinking it held a substantial lunch — in reality, most of the space is taken up by the Prime drink inside. 

I remember Lunchables' Nachos being one of my favorites as a kid, so I decided to grab the Fiesta Nachos Lunchly at my local Target. Take a look at the above picture, which was taken straight after opening the package, before eating any of it. Yes — that's the full amount of queso blanco I was given with my meal, and no, I have no clue why it only takes up ¼ of the allotted space. It's certainly not enough to satisfy the massive amount of chips supplied, and since the salsa tastes (and looks) more like straight tomato sauce, to say I wasn't happy with the meal would be an understatement. Moreover, the measly amount of queso I did get was fairly salty, with an unpleasant, gluey texture that didn't exactly endear me to the sauce. Not even the inclusion of a Prime drink (which I do tend to like) could redeem this meal, and given the massive combined wealth of all three creators, I expected something more impressive. 

If I could only pick one influencer food brand to stick around forever, it would be Joyride. Initially founded by Tyler Merrick, the brand really took off when he partnered with YouTuber Ryan Trahan, who is well-known for raising over $10 million for St. Jude during a fundraising campaign in 2025. Trahan and his wife set out to visit all 50 states in 50 days with an initial goal of raising $1 million for the organization — surpassing that 10 times over was a mean feat. I discovered Joyride while following their journey, and honestly, I'll never eat another candy again (unless it's for taste-testing purposes, of course).

I could wax poetic about these candies all day. The above Cherry Berry Ropes bag is only one of quite a few I've had from the brand, which also makes sour candies that can rival your favorites. All are exquisite, but what gets me even more than their stellar flavor and texture is the nutrition information. Being candy, you'd expect it to be packed with sugar, but a look at the back of the bag will show you quite the opposite — an entire bag contains nearly your entire daily recommended amount of fiber, just under ⅓ of your daily recommended sugar intake, and under 300 calories. As someone who tries to watch her added sugar intake, this is huge for me. I've found Joyride in quite a few local grocery stores, Target included. Do yourself a favor and try a couple of bags the next time you go shopping. 

Speaking of sour candies, Ryan Trahan isn't the only influencer in the mouth-puckering sweets market; YouTuber Oompaville (aka Caleb Phelps) threw his hat into the ring in mid-2023, along with his wife and fellow YouTuber KallMeKris (aka Kristina Phelps). Even if you don't buy the candy, it's worth taking a gander at the Sour Boys' "about" page, which chronicles a dramatic journey to creation (yes, scammers are involved). I was on the fence about where to put Sour Boys on this list; unlike the previous entry, these candies are definitely not low in sugar, but their stellar and unique flavors make them a worthy buy in my opinion. 

The above bag features a tropical flavor profile featuring coconut, mango, and peach, and I wholly loved each flavor — they made for somewhat singular entries in the sour candy genre. Though the candies were definitely sour, the company says they veer toward the sweeter end of the spectrum — I shudder to think how sour its candies can actually get! The biggest downside is that I don't believe these are available in stores. As of the writing of this piece, it looks like you can only buy them online. Nevertheless, if you adore sour candy (or are looking to gift someone who does), these would be a great purchase. 

The eponymous creator of Chamberlain Coffee, Emma Chamberlain, has been cementing herself as a modern social media personality since 2016. In the years since, she's collaborated with several luxury fashion brands (like Louis Vuitton and Cartier), interviewed celebrities for Vogue, launched a podcast called "Anything Goes," made the front cover of magazines, and even been named on Time's "100 Next" list. Naturally, a beverage brand had to follow.

Being a huge coffee nerd (and a sucker for pretty packaging), I really wanted to love Chamberlain Coffee. I'll still give the beans a try should I ever come across them, which was my original intent for this piece — alas, all I could find at local grocers was the brand's canned latte. It only has 70 milligrams of caffeine, a bit less than the average cup of coffee (which has around 95 milligrams in an 8-ounce cup). That alone isn't a bad thing, but combined with the lackluster flavor of this can, I just couldn't get behind the brand. I found its overall flavor to be pretty watered-down, and though I appreciated that it wasn't too sweet, I didn't get enough "coffee" flavor to justify the buy. If you love the flavor of oat milk, don't want something super caffeinated, and don't mind subtler drinks, this could be one for you. Personally, I won't be buying it again. 

Ah, Cody Ko. I've been following this YouTuber for years — I always check for a new video when I get off of work, and Cody Ko ("Ko" being a shortened version of the creator's long last name) never fails to make me laugh on even the roughest days. He regularly makes reaction videos to a number of ridiculous YouTube reality shows, funny TikToks, and television reality series. If you want to put an easy smile on your face, check him out; if you like oatmeal, check out Ko's Oats.

My desire to try Ko's Oats was actually the inspiration for this piece. I love oats and I love "Ko," so I'd have been very upset if they disappointed. Fortunately, they didn't. Making the above was easy as pie. I just heated some milk on the stovetop, poured it over some oats, stirred, and voila — the bowl was ready to eat just a couple of minutes later. I regularly have oatmeal for breakfast, and these would make for a quick and easy substitute for my standard bowl. They were gently sweetened, and though I can't say I got a huge pancake flavor, I didn't mind. They were delicious nonetheless. Catch me trying the brand's other flavors, blueberry muffin and salted chocolate chip cookie. Even though you have to order the oats online (as of writing this piece), they're worth the buy, and I'd pick them over Quaker's instant oats in a heartbeat. 

Gamers who consistently find themselves on YouTube will probably recognize Pokimane, who regularly streams herself playing popular games like "Fortnite" and "Among Us." The creator has over 6 million followers on both YouTube and Instagram, and as such has cemented her legacy in the "influencer" sphere. So, obviously, a food brand swiftly followed. Myna Snacks currently only has two offerings in its lineup — Midnight Cookies and Pizza Crackers — and after trying the former, I'm dying to sample the latter. 

I'll be blunt — I didn't expect to like Myna snacks at all. I'm not generally a fan of packaged cookies (Oreos being the only exception), and I didn't really expect these to be anything notable. Fortunately, I was very, very wrong. I've already polished off two bags of these bad boys. They're light and crispy, with a rich cocoa flavor that refrains from being too sweet, and I love the salty touch on each. Moreover, the cookies are made with all-natural ingredients, are gluten-free, and boast a decent amount of vitamin D. I'd buy these again even if they were inarguably unhealthy; since they're not, expect to see them regularly in my pantry. 

Who doesn't know about MrBeast by now? Since building his billionaire empire, the creator now uses his wealth to construct (and host) elaborate reality game shows, coming up with wild new ways to give money away to contestants willing to put themselves in absurd scenarios. He's also known for his philanthropic ventures, which work to help endangered species, build wells to supply clean drinking water, build homes, and provide relief to refugees. 

Am I alone in not really liking Feastables? I suspect this is a hot take that some fans of sugary chocolate candy bars will get mad at me for. I grabbed a variety bag of snack-size chocolate bars as well as a bag of sour candies from my local Target, and while they were fine, neither stood out as a notable offering in its genre. The sour candies weren't as good as either of the other candy options on this list (Joyride and Sour Boys) — they were incredibly chewy in a way that made my jaw tired, and I didn't get any of the raspberry flavor they claimed to have. The chocolate candy bars were mediocre. I kind of liked the peanut butter one, though I wanted more peanut butter, and the milk crunch and milk chocolate bars just weren't anything notable. Given that the whole bag cost me about $10, I was pretty convinced I could have gotten a better deal elsewhere. 

To choose which products to try for this feature, I picked a selection of influencer-founded food brands based on what I'd already heard of and what I saw featured on other blog posts and food sites. Most of the above can be found in stores (namely Target), and the three that I had to order online were all well worth buying. I judged each based on other comparable foods, which is why some fell decidedly short (like Lunchly, which seems a poor imitation of Lunchables). The few products I recommend avoiding are simply listed as such because I believe you can get better representations of their genre on the market, and often for cheaper, given that they're not attached to a big celebrity name.