Beyond Meat has begun rolling out its Beyond Immerse line of protein drinks in over 26,000 locations in New York, with NBA star Josh Hart joining as the product’s brand ambassador.
As the New York Knicks enter the NBA Finals for the first time this century, one of its stars is headlining the launch of Beyond Meat’s clear protein beverages in the city.
Josh Hart has signed on as the brand ambassador for the company’s Beyond Immerse range, which is now stocked in retail and foodservice locations across the New York metro area.
The rollout is a result of a partnership with Big Geyser, one of the country’s largest non-alcoholic beverage distributors, which also distributes brands like Poppi, Celsius and Just Ice Tea.
It gives the firm, now known as Beyond The Plant Protein Company, access to more than 26,000 outlets across grocery, drug, convenience, mass merchandise, club, and foodservice channels.
It follows months of limited drops of the sparkling protein drinks on the direct-to-consumer Beyond Test Kitchen, through which the company gathered feedback and finetuned the recipe ahead of the brick-and-mortar launch. It has now revamped the packaging of the cans, too.
The plant protein player is positioning the range as its ticket away from financial turmoil, with the business recording its lowest quarterly revenue in Q1 2026 since 2019.
“Launching Beyond Immerse in New York marks a major milestone for our first functional beverage line,” said Beyond founder and CEO Ethan Brown. “We’re excited to see it reach more consumers in a market that sets the pace for what’s next.”
Beyond Immerse available in three flavours across New York
So far, the Beyond Immerse drinks have only been available in multi-packs featuring seven flavours in the D2C channel. The Big Geyser deal, though, will place three of its variants into stores across New York City, Westchester, Putnam, Nassau, and Suffolk.
They’re made from a base of hydrolysed pea protein and soluble tapioca fibre, with a small amount of tartaric, ascorbic and citric acids, stevia leaf and monkfruit extracts, natural flavours, and vegetable juice or beta-carotene for colour.
They contain 10-20g of protein and 7g of fibre per 12oz can, vitamin C for immune support, and no genetically modified organisms or sugar alcohols. At launch, they were available in peach-mango, lemon-lime and orange-tangerine flavours.
These quickly sold out, prompting Beyond to double down on the range and expand the flavour options. In February, the company rolled out cherry-berry, strawberry lemonade, piña colada, and cucumber-grapefruit variants of its protein drinks.
The beverages have received a certification from the Clean Label Project, and are geared towards the expanding demand for protein and fibre in the US, fuelled by the rise in GLP-1 use (which nearly doubled between 2024 and 2025), health trends like fibermaxxing, and the new national dietary guidelines.
New Yorkers will be able to grab the peach-mango, cherry-berry, and strawberry lemonade versions of Beyond Immerse, which are designed for athletes, busy students or professionals seeking functional nutrition at the gym, at home, at work, or on the go, and for GLP-1 users, according to Brown.
“When you’re grinding every day and pushing to perform at the highest level, you have to be intentional about what you put in your body,” Hart said in a statement. “Beyond Immerse gives me everything I need in one can, without the heaviness of a shake.”
Beyond rolls back the years to promote multifunctional protein drinks
For Beyond, a lot hinges on the success of its sparkling protein beverages. Last year, its revenues and share price fell to an all-time low, as the company became a meme stock, had to deny rumours of bankruptcy, and received a delisting warning from Nasdaq.
The struggles reflect Americans’ shifting dietary habits, with animal protein becoming more popular and whole-food formats preferred over vegan analogues, thanks in no small part to the Trump administration’s MAHA movement. In 2025, sales of plant-based meat fell by 10% in retail and 7% in foodservice.
“It is our aspiration that […] this expansion will lead more consumers back to Beyond at the centre of their plate as they enjoy our brand, clean ingredients, and commitment to their health in less controversial, more convenient products like Beyond Immerse,” Brown told investors in the company’s Q4 2025 earnings call.
Last month, after posting the results for the January-to-March period, he laid out the vision for the range: “One way to think about Beyond Immerse is to note that it is concurrently addressing four distinct beverage categories, each of which serves a specific need: protein drinks, fibre drinks, vitamin drinks, and electrolyte drinks.
“The product delivers against each relevant need state within not four, but one beverage, and does so with a refreshing, enjoyable delivery. The consolidation of these nutrients in a single platform is intuitive, given the presence of each in the plant kingdom. It is this feature that gives the product its name, with the consumer immersing their body in the power of plants.”
Brown had also hinted at the marketing strategy for Beyond Immerse, taking inspiration from its 2017 campaign featuring NBA players who said its meat alternatives helped them recover and build muscle.
Hart will lead a new marketing drive focused on performance, recovery and energy, with Beyond hosting a series of activations at leading fitness studios and active lifestyle events across New York.
“Beyond Immerse is something I can grab whether I’m leaving the Garden, finishing a workout, or in between sessions,” said Hart. “What stands out to me is it’s not just another protein drink. It’s the first one I’ve had that brings protein, fibre, antioxidants, and electrolytes together in one light, refreshing drink.”
Brown struck an optimistic tone about the protein drinks last month: “We’ve developed many, many iterations since its initial conception, each more refined than the last. I’m confident that as we launch in earnest across New York this summer, we are bringing a compelling product to market.”
