Previously, many athletes were known as ambassadors for fast food chains and soda brands. In the wake of Ronaldo’s famous Coca-Cola shunning stunt which recently caused a stir around the world, NBA player Cade Cunningham has become the latest athlete to promote healthy foods through a partnership with plant-based heavyweight JUST Egg.
Cunningham is an up-and-coming player who was recently drafted for the Detroit Pistons. He joins a growing number of athletes who are choosing healthier brands that align with their lifestyles rather than more conventional partners.
This July, vegan cheese company Miyoko’s Creamery partnered with not one, but five plant-based Olympic athletes — David Verburg, Rachael Adams, Heather Mitts, Dustin Watten, and Dotsie Bausch. The partnership is part of a program called Cheese of Champs, which has the aim of promoting a healthy, plant-based lifestyle.
Last year, two more Olympic athletes — Michael Phelps and Aly Raisman — became the faces of Silk soymilk. And in 2019, a team of NBA and NFL players became brand ambassadors for Beyond Meat.
The Rise of Eat JUST
Recently, Eat JUST (producer of JUST Egg) announced it was looking to pursue an IPO either at the end of this year or the beginning of 2022. The company is expected to be valued at a minimum of $3 billion.
In May, its cell-cultured meat subsidiary GOOD Meat raised $170 million just a week after Eat JUST was named one of Fast Company’s “World Changing Companies of the Year”. GOOD Meat’s cell-cultured chicken was approved for sale in Singapore late last year, and it is now even available for home delivery.
“Working in partnership with the broader agriculture sector and forward-thinking policymakers, companies like ours can help meet the increased demand for animal protein as our population climbs to 9.7 billion by 2050,” said Eat JUST CEO Josh Tetrick.