Becky Dheri Day Out is the story of a pharmacist who spent her workdays on planes and highways, grew tired of eating airport protein bars and started rolling her own snacks at home. Dheri is the founder and CEO of Day Out Snacks, a New Jersey brand that makes dessert-inspired, plant-based protein balls in flavors such as Brownie Batter, Cookie Dough and Cinnamon Bun. The company began at farmers’ markets, grew through Costco and ShopRite, and on June 8, 2026 launched in 2,000 Target stores nationwide and on Target.com. Here is how Dheri got there, what goes into the snacks, how she funded the growth and what the next phase looks like.
Becky Dheri Day Out: Who Is the Founder?
Becky Dheri is the founder and chief executive officer of Day Out Snacks. According to NJBIZ’s founder profile, she is a pharmacist, an upstate New York native and the founder of a woman-owned, eight-year-old startup headquartered in Montville, New Jersey. The company’s press releases are datelined Red Bank, New Jersey, and describe it as a fast-growing clean-label snack brand.
She did not plan to run a snack company. Dheri told NJBIZ that Day Out began as a side hustle, and that she never dreamed her goal would be to start a snack company. That unplanned origin is the core of the Becky Dheri Day Out story: a problem she wanted solved for herself that turned out to be shared by many people.
Her husband, Aakash Dheri, is part of the origin story and, according to NJBIZ, the couple bootstrapped the company together in its early years. Dheri has also described how her life changed along the way, from being single with no family to being married with a two-year-old while running the business.
From Pharmacy to Pharma Road Warrior
Dheri’s first career was in medicine. NJBIZ reports that she graduated from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2013 with a Doctor of Pharmacy and went on to a post-graduate fellowship with a major drugmaker. She later became a medical science liaison in the pharmaceutical industry, a role that involves meeting with health care professionals across a territory.
Hers stretched from Maine to Virginia. That meant constant travel, by plane or by car, often on long road trips. She told NJBIZ that she would constantly find herself on an airplane or in the car for a very long drive.
That background is unusual for a snack founder. A pharmacist reads ingredient labels differently, and a medical liaison spends the day explaining science to skeptical audiences. Both habits show up in how the brand talks about protein, ingredients and formulation. The pharmacy years are the scientific foundation of Becky Dheri Day Out.
The Problem: Airport Protein Bars
The problem came from her own days on the road. Dheri has always tried to eat well and stay active, but with a travel-heavy job it became harder. She told NJBIZ that most of her meals and snacks came from airports while waiting to board, or from random convenience stores while driving, where there was no Sweetgreen or Cava and none of the foods she was looking for.
The default was a protein bar from an airport shop. She remembers reading the labels and wondering about all the added ingredients, and she did not feel her best eating that way day after day, even though she was trying to make healthy choices. That is when she decided to take control and make something healthy in her own kitchen that she could bring along.
It is a relatable problem. Many people want a convenient snack that does not read like a chemistry set. The gap between “convenient” and “clean” is the problem Becky Dheri Day Out set out to close.
The Kitchen Experiments
The solution started in her home kitchen. After moving to New Jersey to be with her now-husband, Dheri thought back to energy bite recipes she had experimented with in college. For more than a year, according to NJBIZ, she toyed with versions of a portable, shelf-stable snack, like a protein bar but smaller and made with wholesome ingredients, tweaking recipes before work trips and vacations.
She was guided by a flavor combination she loves, peanut butter and chocolate. Her first flavor was dark chocolate peanut, designed to taste satisfying, homemade and “almost like a comfort food,” as she put it.
The business idea came from her husband. After more than a year of making the snacks, he suggested selling them, pointing out that friends and family kept asking her to make them. Her first reaction was doubtful: she did not think anyone would buy them. The kitchen experiments are the creative seed of Becky Dheri Day Out.
Scaling With Rutgers and Farmers’ Markets
Going from 20 balls to hundreds required help. NJBIZ reports that before the launch Dheri found a commercial kitchen and connected with the Rutgers Food Innovation Center in South Jersey, which advised her on how to adjust the recipe to make hundreds of protein balls instead of just 20 or 30 at a time. She called scaling the recipe one of the trickiest early parts.
The brand then sold online and at local farmers’ markets in Monmouth County, and Dheri promoted it through samplings, pop-ups and gym events. The company was originally called Protein Power Ball. In its early years, production was handled by a New Jersey co-packer, and later moved to a co-packer outside Chicago that can better fulfill large national orders.
University food programs like Rutgers’ are a resource many founders overlook. For a first-time food entrepreneur, they provide recipe scaling, safety guidance and credibility. That support is part of how Becky Dheri Day Out moved from kitchen counter to commercial production.
Finding the Dessert Niche
The early product line was broad. Dheri told NJBIZ that at one point the company offered up to nine or ten flavors at once, which turned into an inventory nightmare because of the number of recipes and products to keep on hand.
By 2022, she began testing an “indulgent” line with flavors such as brownie batter, cookie dough and cinnamon bun. Customer feedback pushed her toward it. Buyers kept saying the balls felt like a treat, a guilt-free way to indulge, and Dheri decided to listen to her online community.
She calls the decision to narrow the range and lean into dessert flavors a pivotal moment for the brand. The company eventually pivoted to selling only dessert-inspired flavors. Focusing on a single, clear idea made the products easier to explain, easier to stock and easier for retailers to understand. It is the strategic backbone of Becky Dheri Day Out.
The Rebrand From Protein Power Ball
In April 2024, the company changed its name. Startup CPG’s newswire announced that Protein Power Ball had become Day Out Snacks, with new packaging featuring landscapes that celebrate the many places someone might eat their protein balls.
Dheri explained the reasoning to NJBIZ. Her target customer is usually a millennial woman aged 28 to 45, probably shopping for her family and looking for clean options she can enjoy on the go. The old name, she said, made people think of a man leaving Gold’s Gym who wants a 30-gram protein shake. That was a disconnect with a brand she saw as a lifestyle snack.
After working with several creative agencies over a few years, a New York City marketing firm presented 25 or 30 name options. Day Out was the third or fourth, and Dheri wrote it down immediately. The name works because it describes the product: something portable that you take with you when you leave the house.
The rebrand also introduced bright packaging that emphasizes the flavor names, and Dheri says social media users and creators quickly began tagging and sharing it. The rebrand is why Becky Dheri Day Out finally looked like the brand she imagined.
Building Day Out: Formula and Ingredients
The product itself is built around short ingredient lists. According to the Day Out website, the protein balls are plant-based, rich in fiber, gluten-free and vegan, with no gums, preservatives or artificial sweeteners. The site lists the snacks as under 250 calories and says they are portioned into resealable bags that can be saved for later.
Protein comes from a blend. NJBIZ reports a mix of pea, chickpea, sacha inchi and chia seeds, and the website says pea protein is the main source and describes it as a complete protein. The brand’s trade coverage adds that the snacks are made with pantry staples such as nut butter and dates, and are free from dairy, gums, seed oils, sugar alcohols and GMOs.
The protein figure varies by source and by pack. Coverage of the Target launch reports 12 grams of complete plant protein per serving in the single-serve pouches, while earlier seasonal coverage cites 9 grams per three-ball serving in the bag format, and the website mentions 3 grams per ball. Check the label on the specific product.
The flavor lineup combines core and limited editions. Core flavors are Brownie Batter, Cookie Dough, Cinnamon Bun and Peanut Butter Cup. Limited editions include Apple Cider Donut, Pecan Pie, Gingerbread and Peppermint Bark in 2025, Peanut Butter Crunch in March 2026 and Apple Pie and Pumpkin Cheesecake this fall. Dheri says limited releases let the company test innovation and validate demand before committing to a full-time product. The formula is the technical backbone of Becky Dheri Day Out.
Winning Retail: Wakefern, Costco and Roadshows
The brand was online-only until 2024. Dheri told NJBIZ that until then it sold only on its website and Amazon, and that the entire point of the rebrand was to catch the attention of retailers, because a product has less than a second to win a shopper walking by.
The first retail break came from a competition. NJBIZ reports that Day Out was one of two winners at Wakefern Food Corp.’s supplier summit in 2024, which led to a deal placing its snacks in ShopRite stores across the Northeast.
Costco took longer. Dheri says she cold-called Costco buyers for roughly a year and a half, starting before the rebrand when she was still Protein Power Ball and heard nothing back after sending samples. After the rebrand, the retailer invited her to its Roadshow in-store sampling events. Over eight roadshows across four weekends in spring 2025, Day Out generated more than $50,000 in sales and gave Costco early performance data. By August 2025, the protein balls launched in dozens of Costco locations in the Northeast, and in March 2026 the company added 47 Costco stores in the San Francisco Bay Area and 28 Dierbergs Markets in the Midwest, bringing its footprint to more than 850 stores.
The lesson is persistence. Eighteen months of cold calls turned into a roadshow, and roadshows turned into shelves. That patient approach is how Becky Dheri Day Out earned its first national retail presence.
Landing Target
On June 8, 2026, Day Out launched at Target. According to the PR Newswire announcement, it rolled out in 2,000 Target stores and on Target.com, and the company described it as its first permanent national retail placement and largest expansion to date. A later version of the release says the brand is now in more than 3,000 retail locations, including Costco, ShopRite and Dierbergs Markets.
For the debut, Day Out launched three multi-pack varieties: an exclusive Brownie Batter and Cookie Dough assortment, plus Peanut Butter Cup and Cinnamon Bun. Each box retails for $10.99 and contains four single-serve pouches. Bakery and Snacks reported 12 grams of complete plant protein per pouch.
Dheri called the launch surreal and said she had dreamed of this day back when she was selling the snacks at farmers’ markets in Monmouth County. In the release, she said the goal from the beginning was a snack that could compete with indulgent options on taste while meeting the ingredient standards shoppers increasingly expect, especially at Target.
The website now promotes a $2-off first-box offer for Target shoppers. The Target launch is the largest milestone in the story of Becky Dheri Day Out.
Bootstrapping, a SAFE Round and Crave Ventures
The financial story is modest. NJBIZ says Day Out was primarily bootstrapped by Dheri and her husband. Around the time of the rebrand, she did a very small friends-and-family round. As the company reached proof of concept and moved toward retail, she knew a larger raise was needed.
The company recently secured financing in a SAFE, a simple agreement for future equity, though Dheri declined to say how much. She explained the purpose: to have funding available to onboard retailers and build a retail success team, investing in demos and trial so people experience the brand. Her goal for 2026 is retail expansion and awareness.
She also brought on Crave Ventures, a Charlotte-based firm that works with emerging consumer brands under a service-for-equity model, as an equity partner in summer 2025. Crave provides marketing, branding, public relations and retail expertise without upfront capital. Dheri says it supports the brand with performance media, digital media, content and digital strategy.
Because the SAFE amount is undisclosed and no priced round has been announced, treat any funding total you see elsewhere as an estimate. For more on how rounds shape young consumer brands, see our Funding News section and our story on Nopalera’s Series A. Lean funding is a defining feature of Becky Dheri Day Out.
Press and Recognition
The brand has collected notable mentions. According to NJBIZ, Day Out was featured as one of the best healthy snacks on NBC’s Today show and selected by Men’s Health as one of the 17 best healthy snacks on Amazon. The Day Out homepage also displays press logos from Forbes, Today, Men’s Health, OK! and Brit + Co.
Dheri herself was included in NJBIZ’s 2025 In the Lead list of women-owned businesses. The Wakefern supplier summit win, which led to the ShopRite placement, was a regional validation from a major Northeast grocery cooperative.
These mentions matter more for a bootstrapped brand than for a heavily funded one. Without a large advertising budget, third-party coverage and retailer validation do much of the work of building trust with shoppers and buyers. They are part of how Becky Dheri Day Out earns attention without big spend.
Where Day Out Stands in the Snack Market
The better-for-you snack market is large and crowded. NJBIZ cites a figure of roughly $13 billion for the U.S. better-for-you snacks market, and a projection that the global healthy snacks market will reach $78.2 billion by 2030. These are third-party market estimates and projections.
Day Out sits at the intersection of two trends: protein and clean ingredients, and dessert-style indulgence. Protein bars dominate the category, while protein balls are a smaller format. Competitors include other plant-based ball brands, refrigerated bite brands and the long list of bars. Dheri has said she is lucky to ride the momentum of protein and the movement toward clean snacks.
The brand’s differentiators are clear. It focuses entirely on dessert flavors, avoids gums, seed oils and sugar alcohols, and offers resealable bags and single-serve pouches for on-the-go use. It also has a founder with a clinical background and a story built around real travel frustration.
The risks are real. Protein balls are a less established format than bars, and many shoppers still wonder why they would not make them at home, a question Dheri has heard many times. Premium pricing limits trial, and retailer velocity data will decide whether shelf space stays. In a crowded field, Becky Dheri Day Out competes on flavor, ingredients and convenience.
This article is for information only and is not nutrition or medical advice. Day Out products contain nut butter and other allergens. Always check the label before eating or giving them to anyone with allergies or dietary restrictions.
Leadership Style and What’s Next
Dheri leads as a founder who listens to customers and learns by testing. Her decisions to narrow the product line, pivot to dessert flavors and rename the brand all came from feedback and data from her online community. She also pays attention to emotion: she told Snack & Bakery that she wants each seasonal flavor to carry something personal and nostalgic, such as apple picking or a once-a-year holiday recipe.
She is candid about the challenge of growth. She told NJBIZ that as momentum picks up, you realize the help you need, and that finding strategic partners who can guide and mentor you opens doors and helps avoid costly mistakes. That awareness led to the Crave Ventures partnership.
Looking ahead, the plan is to invest in retail execution teams who connect with customers face to face, through sampling and in-store events, which she credits for building her base of loyal fans. The test will be turning Target and Costco placements into steady repeat purchase across thousands of stores. That discipline will define the next chapter of Becky Dheri Day Out.
Lessons From the Becky Dheri Day Out Journey
The Becky Dheri Day Out journey offers five practical lessons for founders.
First, solve your own problem. Dheri built a snack for her own travel days, which gave her a clear standard for ingredients.
Second, narrow your range. Cutting from nine or ten flavors to a dessert-focused core made the brand simpler to stock and explain.
Third, make your name match your customer. Moving from Protein Power Ball to Day Out aligned the brand with the millennial parents it wanted to reach.
Fourth, be patient with retail. A year and a half of cold calls led to a Costco roadshow and eventually a national rollout.
Fifth, use sampling. Roadshows, farmers’ markets and in-store demos built loyal customers and generated data for buyers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Becky Dheri?
Becky Dheri is the founder and CEO of Day Out Snacks. She is a pharmacist who worked as a medical science liaison in the pharmaceutical industry before starting the company.
What is the Becky Dheri Day Out story?
It is the story of a traveling pharmacist who started making her own protein balls because she could not find healthy snacks on the road, sold them at farmers’ markets and grew the brand into Costco, ShopRite and 2,000 Target stores.
What is Day Out Snacks?
Day Out Snacks is a New Jersey brand that makes dessert-inspired, plant-based protein balls in flavors such as Brownie Batter, Cookie Dough, Cinnamon Bun and Peanut Butter Cup.
What was Day Out called before?
The brand was called Protein Power Ball until it rebranded as Day Out in April 2024.
When did Day Out launch at Target?
Day Out launched in 2,000 Target stores and on Target.com on June 8, 2026.
Where else is Day Out sold?
It is sold at Costco, ShopRite, Dierbergs Markets, Fairway Market, Amazon and its own website, and the company says it is in more than 3,000 retail locations.
How much protein is in Day Out protein balls?
Coverage of the Target single-serve pouches reports 12 grams of complete plant protein per serving, while other formats list 9 grams per three-ball serving, so check the label.
Is Day Out gluten-free and vegan?
The company says the products are plant-based and gluten-free, and its coverage describes them as free from dairy, gums, seed oils and sugar alcohols. Check the label for allergens.
How is Day Out funded?
The company was primarily bootstrapped by Dheri and her husband, followed by a small friends-and-family round and a recent SAFE round whose amount was not disclosed. Crave Ventures joined as an equity partner in 2025.
Where does the name Day Out come from?
A New York City marketing firm suggested it among 25 or 30 names, and Dheri chose it because it describes a portable snack you bring along when you leave the house.
Conclusion
Becky Dheri Day Out shows how an everyday frustration can become a national brand. By starting with her own kitchen, learning to scale with university food experts, narrowing the line to dessert flavors, rebranding to match her customer and spending months earning her way into Costco, Dheri built a snack company that now sits on 2,000 Target shelves. The open question is whether protein balls can become a lasting everyday habit and whether retail velocity holds as the footprint grows. If it does, Dheri’s journey from side hustle to Target may become a model for bootstrapped food founders.
For more founder journeys in consumer brands, see Freddie Martignetti’s Rosaluna, Jen Phan’s Passionfroot and Marcos del Pilar’s Pro Padel League on Denote Press, or browse all Founder Stories.
