By: Nik Korba
As the creators of RISE311 were developing the formula for their Chocolate plant-based protein powder (called “Dark Chocolate” but, in their view, more of a Milk chocolate), they became aware that many “chocolate” powders don’t use real chocolate at all. And those that do use a form of chocolate that has been processed in a way that robs it of some of its key health benefits.
“When powders say they are flavored with ‘natural flavors,’ that doesn’t mean cocoa,” says Josh Malin, co-founder and head formulator of RISE311. “The reality is most never came near a cocoa bean. And the powders that do use real cocoa typically use alkalized cocoa, the Dutch-process kind, which means much of its beneficial flavanol content has been stripped out.”
Malin and his team decided to take the road less traveled and commit to making a chocolate protein powder that provided authentic cocoa flavor along with the health benefits contained in the cocoa bean. The result is RISE311 Dark Chocolate, a protein powder made with real, organic, non-alkalized cocoa with a rich, authentic taste.
“Like each of our flavors, RISE311 Dark Chocolate has everything you want and nothing you don’t,” Malin says. “Our powder delivers a smooth texture with no clumps, and most users report little to no digestive discomfort. It took 311 recipes and over a year of testing to get it right, but the result is a formula that doesn’t force you to choose between performance and comfort.”
RISE311 is the chocolate protein powder that actually tastes like chocolate
If RISE311 provided simply an authentic dark chocolate taste, that would have been good enough. But Malin wanted more than good enough. He knew that many of his customers didn’t look forward to protein powders, despite knowing the value they added to their training. To be exact, he knew that most dreaded the powders. So his mission was to craft a powder they couldn’t wait to drink.
“When you taste our Dark Chocolate powder, you taste fudge brownie, sea salt, and smooth cream,” Malin says. “Those are the tasting notes, and they come from the hand-picked cocoa we use, not from a flavoring. We use organic, non-alkalized cocoa because nothing tastes like the real thing.”
One of the secrets to RISE311’s great taste is starting with a base that is bland. Malin says they deliberately developed the base powder to be one of the blandest on the market so the light and delicate flavor of dark chocolate wouldn’t be buried under flavoring.
RISE311 uses non-alkalized cocoa to keep its flavanol content high
When people say chocolate is good for you, they are primarily referring to the flavanols found in cocoa beans. Flavanols deliver a long list of health benefits, including blood pressure support, enhanced brain function, reduction in systemic inflammation, and even UV protection. Unfortunately, most protein powder developers subject their cocoa to an alkalizing process that strips it of flavanols.
“Alkalizing accomplishes a number of things that can be helpful when developing protein powder, including cutting acidity and softening cocoa’s natural bitterness,” Malin says. “But it also strips out much of the flavanol content. We choose to use non-alkalized so we don’t needlessly destroy the goodness inside the cocoa.”
RISE311 prioritizes sourcing to protect against heavy metals
If not properly sourced, protein powders are vulnerable to dangerous heavy metal content. And chocolate-flavored powders can have higher metal content levels than vanilla-flavored ones.
“Cadmium is the metal you need to watch out for with cocoa, and it comes from the soil the cacao grows in,” Malin says. “There’s no processing step that can remove it. Sourcing is the only place to fix it.”
RISE311 avoids cadmium by carefully sourcing its cocoa from small farming co-ops in countries with the cleanest soils, and by using third-party labs to test each crop batch its supplier produces before it commits to buying a lot. The company’s heavy metal profile stays well below regulatory limits because of its rigorous sourcing and testing. Every batch and every flavor sits below the Prop 65 limits for heavy metals.
“Most brands don’t test for heavy metals, nor release their test results,” Malin says. “We make our results available on our website because we have nothing to hide. We have our suppliers test every lot using ICP-MS analysis before we choose which lots to buy. And we don’t stop there. We then use a third-party lab to test the raw ingredients ourselves, and the same third-party lab tests the final RISE311 pouch on every batch.”
RISE311 wasn’t founded to provide just another protein shake. It was designed to be a guilt-free culinary delight that is as good for your body as it is for your taste buds.
“We crafted RISE311 Chocolate protein powder for those who don’t settle for less,” Malin says. “It’s not just a complete protein that supports real muscle growth and recovery. It’s also a treat you’ll actually crave.”
