What's Happening
A new functional food brand called SidePiece is preparing to launch a protein snack built around a nostalgic format: the dunkable cookie and dip. Instead of a bar, cookie, or shake, SidePiece comes in a tray split roughly two-thirds crumbly cookies and one-third creamy dip, the same dip-and-bite ritual anyone who grew up on Dunkaroos will recognize.
Each pack promises a moderate 10g of protein, 11g of fiber, just 4g of sugar, and what the brand describes as a reasonable calorie count. The recipe is fully plant-based, gluten-free, and dairy-free. It will launch in three flavors: Papi Churro, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Birthday Behavior. An exact release date and pricing have not yet been announced.
Why It Matters
Format is the entire play here. The protein snack aisle is saturated with bars, cookies, chips, and shakes, and standing out increasingly means doing something structurally different rather than just adding another flavor. A dunkable cookie-and-dip tray is genuinely novel in the functional space, and it taps directly into millennial nostalgia, which has become one of the most reliable levers in packaged food.
The macro profile is also well-judged for the moment. The fiber number stands out: at 11g, SidePiece leads with fiber nearly as much as protein, which lands right as gut health and fiber have become the wellness talking points of the year. Pairing 10g of protein with 11g of fiber and only 4g of sugar in a fun format is a smart read of where snacking demand is heading, toward products that feel like a treat but carry a functional story.
The honest framing: at 10g of protein, this is not a high-protein product competing with a 20g bar or a David pint. It is a better-for-you snack with a playful hook, aimed at the impulse and nostalgia buyer more than the macro-counting gym-goer. As a brand-new company with no track record, taste and distribution will decide whether the novelty converts into repeat purchase.
Bigger Picture
SidePiece is part of a wave of newcomers trying to out-innovate an increasingly crowded functional-food market on format rather than formula. As protein has spread into candy, ice cream, cereal, and soda, the differentiators left are experiential: how a product is eaten, how it plays on social media, and how strongly it triggers nostalgia. A revived Dunkaroos-style snack checks all three.
The plant-based, gluten-free, and dairy-free build is also a deliberate positioning choice, opening the product to allergen-sensitive and plant-based shoppers that a whey-based snack would exclude. Whether that broadens the audience or dilutes the indulgence appeal is the kind of bet a new brand has to make early.
For a startup, the challenge is steep. Novel formats can generate a burst of social attention at launch, but tray-based snacks are harder to manufacture and merchandise than a shelf-stable bar, and a first-time brand has to earn both retail placement and repeat buyers before the novelty fades. SidePiece has a genuinely fresh idea. The execution, from taste to shelf, is what will determine whether it becomes a staple or a viral one-off.
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