Khloud
Khloé Kardashian's protein popcorn brand. Surpassed Doritos at Target, hired Poppi's first employee as CEO, and expanded to Walmart, Kroger, and Starbucks in under a year.
Within months of launching three flavors of protein popcorn at Target in April 2025, Khloud surpassed Doritos as the best-selling salty snack SKU at the retailer, and 71% of the people buying it had never purchased popcorn at Target before. By early 2026, the brand had expanded from Target to Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Starbucks, and more than a dozen additional retailers, with plans to enter the UK market by the end of the year.
Khloé Kardashian’s ownership stake has not been disclosed, but Khloud is her first independent consumer brand, built without Emma Grede, the operator behind Good American and Skims. She raised $12 million in an oversubscribed round from Serena Ventures, WME, K5 Global, and Shrug Capital, and appointed Jeff Rubenstein, the first employee at Poppi before PepsiCo acquired it for $1.95 billion, as CEO.
At a glance:
| Founded | April 2025 |
| Founder | Khloé Kardashian |
| CEO | Jeff Rubenstein (appointed September 2025) |
| Funding | $12M seed round (oversubscribed from $10M target) |
| Revenue | Not publicly disclosed |
| Retailers | Target, Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Starbucks, Sprouts, Wegmans, Thrive Market |
| Products | 6 protein popcorn flavors |
| Price range | $4.99–$5.99 per bag |
The Story
Khloé Kardashian’s public fitness transformation, which she has documented on television and social media for over a decade, made her one of the most visible faces of the high-protein lifestyle trend long before she ever launched a food brand. The idea behind Khloud started with whether popcorn, a snack she was already eating, could deliver meaningful protein without tasting like a supplement. The answer was a proprietary coating called “Khloud Dust,” a blend of milk protein isolate and seasoning that wraps each kernel in 7 grams of complete protein per serving, roughly three times what traditional popcorn provides.
The name combines Khloé with cloud, and the visual identity follows the same logic. Turner Duckworth, the Publicis Groupe agency that has designed packaging for Coca-Cola and Amazon, built a brand world in pastel cloud-inspired colors with a custom typeface from Contrast Foundry and Optimo Foundry. Kardashian wanted packaging that felt “light, airy and a little dreamy, just like the name sounds,” and incorporated her love for sunsets and clouds into everything from the bag design to the social media aesthetic.
Khloud launched on April 29, 2025, with three flavors at Target nationwide and through its own website: White Cheddar, Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn, and Olive Oil & Sea Salt. The simplest formulation, Olive Oil & Sea Salt, contains only four ingredients: popcorn, milk protein isolate, olive oil, and mineral sea salt. Multiple Target locations sold out within days, and the brand expanded to Sprouts, Thrive Market, and GoPuff by June 2025, reaching over 2,500 retail doors within its first two months.
The Strategy
Four ingredients and a protein coating
The entire brand is built around a single product innovation: coating popcorn kernels in milk protein isolate to deliver 7 grams of protein per serving with all nine essential amino acids. CEO Jeff Rubenstein described the positioning as “making functionality fashionable,” and every product decision follows the same principle of fewer ingredients at a higher standard. Pricing at $4.99 to $5.99 per bag puts Khloud above commodity popcorn brands like SkinnyPop ($3 to $4) but below premium protein snacks like Quest chips ($8 to $10), targeting the generation that has made protein the number-one nutrient they look for on a label.
Poppi’s first employee as CEO
In September 2025, five months after launch, Khloud appointed Jeff Rubenstein as CEO. Rubenstein was the first employee at Poppi, where he served as president and chief growth officer before PepsiCo acquired the prebiotic soda brand for $1.95 billion in March 2025. Before Poppi, he was one of fewer than ten employees at Vita Coco in 2003, a company now valued at over $3 billion, and he helped scale and sell both WTRMLN WTR and Health-Ade. His track record reads like a list of every beverage startup that reached a billion-dollar exit in the last decade, and his hiring signals that Khloud sees itself not as a popcorn company but as a platform brand planning to expand into two to three additional snack categories within a year and five to six within three years.
Popcorn at the coffee counter
On January 6, 2026, Khloud became available at Starbucks locations nationwide, paired with a custom drink: a Grande Iced Vanilla Protein Latte with blonde espresso and vanilla protein cold foam, available through the Starbucks app. The drink and popcorn together deliver 47 grams of protein. Kardashian and Kris Jenner promoted the launch by visiting Starbucks headquarters in Seattle and working as baristas at a Los Angeles location, wearing green aprons and handing out free samples. The partnership was part of CEO Brian Niccol’s “Back to Starbucks” strategy and put Khloud in front of the chain’s daily foot traffic across roughly 16,000 company-operated U.S. stores.
301 million followers as the marketing budget
Khloé Kardashian has 301 million followers on Instagram and 5.7 million on TikTok, and the Kardashian-Jenner family’s combined reach exceeds one billion people. Organic posts about Khloud from Kardashian and her family generate earned media that would cost millions in paid advertising, and the brand has used this influencer network to support every retail launch and product expansion without disclosing any paid media spend.
The Numbers
Khloud does not disclose revenue, and no credible third-party estimate exists because the brand is privately held and less than a year old.
What is known:
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Launch (Target + DTC) | April 29, 2025 |
| 2,500+ retail doors (Sprouts, Thrive Market, GoPuff) | June 2025 |
| Wegmans, ShopRite, Raley’s, CIBO Express | July 2025 |
| Jeff Rubenstein appointed CEO | September 2025 |
| Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Ahold launches | Fall 2025 |
| Starbucks partnership | January 6, 2026 |
| 6 flavors in market | Early 2026 |
Funding: Khloud raised $12 million in a seed round that was oversubscribed from an original $10 million target, with investors including Serena Ventures (Serena Williams’ fund), WME (William Morris Endeavor), K5 Global, and Shrug Capital. Chief supply chain officer Michael Maya was appointed alongside Rubenstein to oversee manufacturing and operations.
The market: The U.S. popcorn market was valued at $3.93 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $5.34 billion by 2031, and Khloud’s positioning at the intersection of popcorn and protein snacks gives it access to both categories.
Controversies
Investor ties to FTX
K5 Global, one of Khloud’s four named investors, received $700 million in transfers from FTX-affiliated Alameda Research between March and September 2022, structured through shell companies. The FTX bankruptcy estate filed a 16-count lawsuit in June 2023 seeking to claw back the funds from K5 co-founders Michael Kives and Bryan Baum, and the two parties reached a settlement on January 31, 2025, three months before Khloud’s launch, with terms that remain undisclosed.
Sexually suggestive ad featuring children
A February 2026 promotional video for the new Dill Pickle flavor featured Kardashian’s seven-year-old daughter True and nine-year-old niece Dream opening a box labeled “Love Life in a Pickle?” with the interior reading “Get yourself a better pickle.” Kardashian read from an insert that said “Not all pickles rise to the occasion, but ours do,” and the video included branding for “good girl snacks” and “Hot Girl Pickles.” Critics called the double entendres inappropriate for content featuring children, and the backlash generated coverage in CafeMom, The Sun, and multiple parenting outlets.
Diet culture criticism
A HuffPost article published the day before Khloud’s launch criticized Kardashian for describing the popcorn as a snack “you don’t have to feel guilty about” in a People magazine interview. Clinical nutritionist Cristina Hoyt responded that “guilt is an emotional response that’s meant for when we hurt others, not for eating a snack,” and several dietitians noted that the language reinforced the diet culture framework that ties morality to food choices. The “guilt-free” phrasing appeared primarily in the People interview rather than in official Khloud marketing materials.
What You Can Learn
Hire the person who already built what you are trying to build. Jeff Rubenstein scaled Vita Coco, Health-Ade, and Poppi before any of them were household names, and Khloud hired him because taking a snack brand from one retailer to national distribution is a problem he has solved multiple times before. For any online business, the most valuable hire is someone who has already done your hardest thing at another company.
Your first retailer is your proof of concept, not your ceiling. Khloud launched exclusively at Target, proved the product could outsell Doritos in a controlled environment, and then used those numbers to open doors at Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Starbucks, and a dozen other chains within months. Starting with one retail partner gives you clean data, and clean data is what convinces the next retailer to say yes.
A celebrity brand still needs a product that works without the celebrity. The fact that 71% of Khloud buyers at Target had never purchased popcorn there before suggests the brand is creating new demand rather than redirecting existing popcorn shoppers, and that distinction matters because influencer-driven attention fades while a product that brings new customers into a category has structural staying power.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Khloud?
Khloé Kardashian founded the company and her ownership stake has not been publicly disclosed. Outside investors include Serena Ventures, WME, K5 Global, and Shrug Capital, who collectively contributed $12 million in seed funding.
What is Khloud Dust?
Khloud Dust is the brand’s proprietary coating made from milk protein isolate and seasoning that wraps each popcorn kernel, delivering 7 grams of complete protein per serving with all nine essential amino acids.
Where can you buy Khloud popcorn?
Khloud is available at Target, Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Starbucks, Sprouts, Wegmans, ShopRite, Thrive Market, GoPuff, and through the brand’s website at khloudfoods.com, with prices ranging from $4.99 to $5.99 per bag.
Is Khloé Kardashian still involved with Good American?
Kardashian said on her podcast in March 2026 that she is “still very much co-founder and owner” of Good American, but she is no longer involved in strategy or operations and has not posted about the brand on social media since August 2024.
How much protein is in Khloud popcorn?
Each serving contains 7 grams of complete protein from milk protein isolate, approximately three times the protein in traditional popcorn, with roughly 150 calories, 8 grams of fat, and no artificial flavors or colors.
Who founded Khloud?
Khloé Kardashian founded Khloud in April 2025 as her first independent consumer brand. She built it without Emma Grede, the operator behind Good American and Skims, and brought in Jeff Rubenstein, the first employee at Poppi, as CEO five months after launch.
When was Khloud founded?
Khloud launched on April 29, 2025, with three flavors of protein popcorn at Target nationwide. The brand expanded to Sprouts, Thrive Market, and GoPuff by June 2025, then to Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, and Starbucks within the next nine months.
What is Khloud’s revenue?
Khloud does not disclose revenue, and no credible third-party estimate exists because the brand is privately held and less than a year old. The company raised $12 million in seed funding from Serena Ventures, WME, K5 Global, and Shrug Capital, and its popcorn surpassed Doritos as the best-selling salty snack SKU at Target shortly after launch.
Sources
- TechCrunch, “Khloe Kardashian launches consumer brand backed by Serena Ventures, WME,” April 2025. Funding details, investor list, oversubscription.
- PR Newswire, “Khloé Kardashian’s Khloud Popcorn Soars in Retail,” June 2025. Retail expansion to 2,500+ doors, sales performance.
- PR Newswire, “Khloud Names Jeff Rubenstein Chief Executive Officer,” September 2025. CEO appointment, Walmart and Kroger launches, Michael Maya hire.
- WWD, “Exclusive: Khloé Kardashian’s Khloud Appoints Poppi Exec as CEO,” September 2025. Rubenstein background, Doritos comparison, 71% new-customer stat, expansion plans.
- Ad Age, “Khloe Kardashian Khloud Popcorn Turner Duckworth,” 2025. Brand identity, Turner Duckworth creative process, Kardashian branding quotes.
- Starbucks Newsroom, “Khloé Kardashian Pairs Her Favorite Starbucks Protein Drink With Khloud Popcorn,” January 2026. Starbucks partnership details, protein latte pairing.
- Fortune, “FTX estate sues Michael Kives, Bryan Baum, and K5 Global for $700 million,” June 2023. K5 Global FTX lawsuit.
- PR Newswire, “FTX Reaches Settlement with K5 Global,” January 2025. K5 Global settlement details.
- HuffPost, “Khloe Kardashian Launched A ‘Guilt-Free’ Protein Popcorn and Got The Messaging All Wrong,” April 2025. Diet culture criticism, nutritionist quotes.
- CafeMom, “Khloé Kardashian Slammed for ‘Inappropriate’ Ad Featuring Daughter True and Niece Dream,” February 2026. Dill pickle ad controversy.
- E! News, “Khloé Kardashian on Current Role at Good American,” March 2026. Good American relationship status.
- University of Florida, “Jeff Rubenstein”. Rubenstein career history at Vita Coco and Coca-Cola.