A Protein Smoothie Made from Leaves? Palmetto Superfoods Has You Covered
Bay Area chain Palmetto Superfoods has introduced a new Blade Smoothie, featuring Leaft Foods’s alfalfa-derived Leaf Rubisco protein and an “unmatched” amino acid profile.
Californians can now walk into a store and drink a protein smoothie made from 50,000 leaves.
Palmetto Superfoods, which operates 15 locations in the Golden State, has teamed up with New Zealand startup Leaft Foods to roll out a new drink built on the latter’s Leaf Rubisco protein.
Rubisco is the world’s most abundant protein, and is found in the leaves, not seeds, of green plants. Leaft Foods’s version, called Leaft Blade, is sourced from alfalfa grown in the Canterbury region.
This forms the base of the new Blade Smoothie at the acai chain, which is packed with fruits, seeds and superfoods, and fits right into the demand for high-fibre, high-protein options.
Palmetto Superfoods puts leaves on a pedestal
The Blade Smoothie contains Palmetto Superfoods’ signature Japanese Matchacado – a blend of matcha, avocados and coconut – and its Tropical Spirulina, which combines blue spirulina with coconut, mango and pineapple.
These are paired with pineapple, kiwi, avocado, chia seeds, dates and coconut milk, before being finished with Leaft Blade. Each smoothie costs $13.95 and delivers 18g of Rubisco protein, which itself boasts an “unmatched” 522mg of essential amino acids per gram.
According to Leaft Foods, the smoothie demonstrates Rubisco’s functional benefits. Its alfalfa-derived protein is engineered for rapid digestion, so amino acids are delivered much faster than traditional proteins. It contains bioavailable iron, vitamins B2, B7, B12 and K1, L-tyrosine to sharpen focus and support brain function, leucine to trigger growth, and tryptophan to restore balance.
Further, each serving delivers vitamins and minerals that support gut health, immunity, circulation, hormonal balance, and healthy skin and hair. The focus on gut health is notable, considering the impact of GLP-1 drugs and the fibermaxxing movement on the food industry.
The share of Americans using weight-loss medications more than doubled between early 2024 and summer 2025, from 5.8% to 12.4%. That has pushed food companies to tweak their offerings and meet the demands of GLP-1 users, who witness a 25-40% decrease in muscle mass over eight to 16 months (several times more than non-medicated weight loss approaches and age-related muscle loss).
Protein ties directly into this. Nearly three in five (57%) Americans plan to prioritise protein this year to increase energy (52%), build strength (51%), manage weight (48%), and stay fuller longer (41%). The spotlight on this macronutrient has been intensified by the new national dietary guidelines, which have pushed the daily recommended intake from 0.8g to 1.2-1.6g.
Leaft Foods to scale up Rubisco protein amid growing interest
Palmetto Superfoods is the first US foodservice chain to put Leaft Blade on its menu. Its founder and CEO, Charles Lee, said it represented a “new chapter” for the business: “Thanks to our partnership with Leaft Foods, we’re proud to introduce our first greens smoothie – one that’s powerful, functional, and packed with clean plant protein.”
Scientists have been attempting to extract Rubisco from green leaves for over a century, but most efforts destroyed its delicate structure and rendered it worthless. Leaft Foods, founded in 2019 by husband-and-wife duo John Penno and Maury Leyland Penno, has developed a gentle, food-safe process that preserves protein integrity and unlocks its full potential.
Its alfalfa-derived Rubisco protein isolate is a complete protein that outperforms plant-based counterparts like pea and soy, and has a PDCAAS score similar to beef, egg whites, and dairy proteins. At the same time, it generates 97% fewer greenhouse gases than whey.
Leaft Foods has teamed up with dairy giant Lacto Japan to supply its alfalfa leaf protein to some of Japan’s largest food manufacturers and create revenues worth tens of millions of dollars over the next five years. Plus, it has partnered with New Zealand cooperative Foodstuffs, which will utilise its Leaf Rubisco protein to replace egg protein in a range of baked goods.
The startup has been delivering commercial-grade Rubisco protein to B2B customers in other markets too, including the US, where it has partnered with Meateor Pet Foods to offer its Alfalfa Protein Concentrate to dog and cat food producers.
It has already begun commercial-scale production of its Rubisco protein, and this year, it plans to prove its scale and validate its market to drive growth in both the B2B and consumer-facing channels.
“We’ll be demonstrating that what we’ve built isn’t just a better ingredient – it’s the foundation for a completely different protein economy, one that’s not constrained by the limitations of legacy protein production,” Leaft Foods CEO Ross Milne told Green Queen in December.
“We’re also focused on the path to profitability as we scale beyond our current capacity, proving that truly transformative food innovation can succeed with sound fundamental economics,” he added.