Cowboy Colostrum is tapping into a growing wellness trend, but its roots are personal
Cowboy Colostrum may be part of a broader trend around colostrum in wellness, but it was founded on personal experience. Co-founders Steph Stoikos and Jessy Shenfeld told Athletech News they launched the brand after discovering colostrum’s impact on their daily lives.
“We weren’t chasing trends,” Stoikos told ATN. “We were chasing something that actually made us feel good. Colostrum was the first thing that felt like real nourishment. It grounded us, supported our digestion, boosted our immune systems, and just gave us this steady, strong energy.”
As recovery, immunity, and gut health continue to dominate wellness conversations, colostrum is showing up as a multi-functional tool.
“Colostrum is the original recovery tool: nature’s first food for a reason,” Shelfeld said. “It supports the gut lining, which affects everything from nutrient absorption to inflammation and immune response. We saw athletes recover faster, digest better, and feel more resilient.”
She added that while the effects aren’t always immediate or dramatic, users often described a sense of steadiness they didn’t know they were missing.
Cowboy’s recent collaboration with Erewhon helped introduce the brand to a broader audience. The “Cowboy Brew” received strong community engagement, especially on social media.
“The Erewhon partnership was a full-circle moment for us,” Stoikos said. “We started Cowboy with the idea of creating something rooted in nature but polished enough to stand alongside the best. Seeing people post about the drink, tag friends, and make it at home was surreal.”
Looking ahead, the brand is thinking about retail through a community lens, like gyms, coffee shops, or local events.
“We’re always looking for ways to show up in real life and meet people where they are,” Stoikos said.
Cowboy stands out in a category that’s often marked by minimalism and clinical messaging. The team deliberately chose a different tone.
“Wellness can feel pretty sterile: clean packaging, clinical promises, no real heart behind it,” Stoikos said. “With Cowboy, we wanted something that felt alive and a little gritty. From day one, we gave it a real voice. It’s bold, but it’s also personal.”
She said the founder-led nature of the business shaped the brand’s tone and style, offering a sense of personality that’s often missing in the category.
“There’s storytelling behind it,” she said. “It feels like something made by people, for people.”
A strawberry flavor is the brand’s most recent launch, which the founders developed to offer something nostalgic but high-quality.
“We wanted to capture that summer-in-a-scoop feeling,” Stoikos said. “We used real organic freeze-dried strawberries: no artificial sweeteners. It tastes like something familiar, but it still has all the core bioactives that make Cowboy what it is.”
Since launching Cowboy, Shenfeld said the biggest surprise has been the range of people using colostrum.
“How many people didn’t know colostrum existed, but once they tried it, they didn’t want to stop,” she said. “And it wasn’t just athletes. We’ve heard from new moms, people into skincare, biohackers. It’s not one type of wellness consumer.”
The team plans to expand into new flavors and formats, while also building out storytelling efforts around real people using Cowboy in their daily routines.
“The goal is to stay grounded—close to the product and close to our community,” Shenfeld said.
And despite the growing momentum, Stoikos said the project still feels personal.
“Cowboy came from a place of wanting to feel strong and connected to something real,” she said. “Seeing that reflected back through our community has been incredible. Even with everything that’s happened, it still feels like we’re just getting started.”
