This Protein Brand Wants To End The Pumpkin Spice Takeover

Pumpkin spice comes back every fall and immediately starts getting into everything. Coffee, cereal, cookies, cream cheese, protein bars, dog treats. We’ll be washing our hair with it by the end of October.

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Levels would like it to stop. It’s time for another flavor to have a turn.

The protein brand has launched Maple Cinnamon Whey Protein, its first-ever limited-edition flavor, alongside a campaign called “End the Pumpkin Propaganda.”

Pumpkin propaganda. We’re talking about spices here, but okay. I’m listening.

Levels Wants to Break Up the Pumpkin Spice “Monopoly”

Levels has been making protein powder for ten years without releasing a single limited-edition flavor. For its first one, the company could have simply put maple on the label, added a few aesthetic leaves swirling around and called it fall.

Instead, it declared war on pumpkin spice.

Levels founder and CEO Blake Niemann says the brand isn’t even anti-pumpkin. It’s anti-“pumpkin monopoly,” arguing that one flavor shouldn’t get to run the entire season.

And pumpkin spice has been getting greedy. It used to have the latte. Now I can walk into a grocery store in September and buy pumpkin spice practically anything. I’m surprised it hasn’t made a serious move on toothpaste. Actually, I might patent that.

Levels is putting forward maple and cinnamon instead.

Maple does already have some fall credentials. It has pancakes. It has waffles. It has those little maple leaf candies that are pretty much just sugar wearing a Canadian costume. Cinnamon is hardly sitting around waiting for work either.

Together, though, Levels thinks they deserve a bigger piece of fall.

The new Maple Cinnamon Whey Protein is made with real cinnamon and natural maple flavor. Each scoop has 24 grams of protein and 5.4 grams of BCAAs, with no artificial sweeteners or dyes. You can put it in a protein shake, obviously, but Levels also suggests adding it to coffee, smoothies, and pancakes.

So it doesn’t just want a spot on the protein shelf. It wants the latte too. Pumpkin spice shouldn’t get too comfortable.

Where Can You Get Levels Maple Cinnamon Whey Protein?

Levels started the rebellion on TikTok Shop, where Maple Cinnamon got two days of early access on September 29th and 30th. The launch also included a TikTok livestream on September 29th with the new flavor available for 20% off.

On October 1st, Maple Cinnamon moved to the Levels website, followed by select Vitamin Shoppe stores nationwide on October 8th.

It’s only available in limited quantities, and Levels hasn’t said exactly how long it’ll stick around.

Which does make “End the Pumpkin Propaganda” a slightly ambitious campaign objective. Pumpkin spice has several decades of seasonal dominance behind it. Levels has one limited-edition tub of protein powder.

Still, every revolution has to start somewhere. This one starts with 24 grams of protein.