simplyFuel protein balls mirror KC Royals triumphs and resilience

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The early steps for Mitzi Dulan’s protein ball business took place in the 2015 Royals clubhouse when players like Eric Hosmer and Alex Gordon made sure there were never many left over.

“I remember making balls here at 1 a.m. for the Royals in 2015 because they really want them and would gobble through them so quickly,” said Dulan.

A combination of oats, peanut butter and honey fueled a World Series run, launched Dulan’s simplyFUEL and earned her a World Series ring.

Dulan’s 2015 Royals World Series ring.

Dulan sold her product online and in some stores, but better distribution meant scaling up and connecting with bigger buyers at the right time. A missed connection with Costco in 2017 was followed by another promising lead a few years later.

“I had a meeting set up for March 26, 2020,” said Dulan with a laugh.

“So that meeting was canceled.”

COVID got in the way, keeping Dulan’s protein balls from the widespread distribution she was looking for.

In early 2023, while the Royals were starting its 56-win season, Dulan got into a few Costco’s around Dallas on a trial run. Before she even got the results from that sample, a representative near San Francisco called.

“One of my co-workers who isn’t even working today just saw your numbers and we would love to get some samples and my buyer can make a decision really fast,” Dulan claimed the representative told her.

From that point on, business has taken off, becoming an everyday item in two of Costco’s eight regions and in stores around the KC metro while also moving into Sam’s Club. Dulan expects to be in all Sam’s Club stores by the end of the year.

It means simplyFUEL is part of the growing number of female-owned businesses that are thriving, despite the pandemic.

Wells Fargo says despite COVID challenges and supply chain disruptions, female-owned and female-owned businesses were started and grew faster than other businesses.

Dulan slowly grew from one ball-rolling machine to three with a fourth on the way that operate three shifts a day, five days a week to meet her growing order demand.

Dulan says she’s thankful for the support from people around the metro and that her business superpower making food for families and teams is that she was someone who needed those snacks herself.

“I’m a mom, I understand other moms have been in the sports field forever as a sports mom,” said Dulan.

The tide started to turn for simplyFUEL during one of the Royals’ worst seasons. Now, the team could clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2015 in the next few days, harkening back to where the protein ball business began.

“It was completely born out of that World Series run,” said Dulan.

“That was what made me start thinking of making them for people.”

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