Peloton’s Adrian Williams, Undeniably Dairy Launch Cheese Protein Bar

The Parm Bar leans into the growing demand for convenient, real-food protein options as an alternative to bars and shakes

Cheese has long had a complicated place in wellness culture. The rise of nondairy alternatives, shifting nutrition advice and years of mixed messaging around dairy have left many consumers unsure where cheese fits in a healthy routine. But as protein has become one of the defining nutrition priorities for active consumers, dairy is getting a second look.

Undeniably Dairy is leaning into that shift with the launch of the Parm Bar, a limited-edition protein option made from real parmesan cheese.

The product, created in partnership with Peloton instructor and fitness personality Adrian Williams, is timed to National Cheese Day on June 4 and designed to position cheese less as a guilty pleasure and more as a convenient, high-protein snack for people who train, work and move through busy days.

Each one-ounce serving of the Parm Bar delivers nine grams of protein. Undeniably Dairy will make the Parm Bar available through a limited-time giveaway on its Instagram from June 2 through June 5, along with cheese-inspired merchandise.

For Williams, the partnership is personal. He said cheese is already part of how he fuels himself throughout the day, especially given the demands of teaching, training and moving constantly.

“I love cheese,” Williams told Athletech News. “It’s in alignment with how I fuel myself on a day-to-day basis.”

The launch arrives as the protein category continues to expand well beyond bars, shakes and powders. Consumers are increasingly looking for snacks that feel functional but familiar.

Williams said he sees an opportunity to challenge some of the stigma around dairy, particularly among consumers who have absorbed the idea that cheese does not belong in a healthy routine.

“Dairy is not bad,” Williams said. “The quality of where we source our dairy from is really, really important.”

He noted that dairy won’t be the right fit for everyone. But for consumers who tolerate it well, Williams said cheese can be an easy source of protein at moments when convenience matters.

He added that a ready-to-eat cheese option could meet consumers at a practical point of need, especially after a workout or during a packed day.

“A lot of my community, they’re constantly moving in their daytime between work, kids’ school, their workouts and their routines,” Williams said. “I understand how important it is for a lot of these individuals to have something that’s quick and easy.”

The Parm Bar also lands at a moment when the protein category is becoming more experimental, more savory and less dependent on the traditional bar-and-shake playbook.

Protein is now showing up in formats that feel closer to snacks: TofuGo’s shelf-stable tofu bars, Wilde’s chicken-based protein chips, and cottage cheese chips, a viral snack popular on TikTok.

For Undeniably Dairy, the launch gives the brand a way to connect with the performance and wellness consumer by reframing a traditional food through the language of protein, recovery and convenience.

That fit was important to Williams, who said he looks for brand partnerships that align with his lifestyle and offer something useful to his community.

“They need to be in alignment with who I am as a person,” he said. “I like when people are doing good in the world. It’s important for me that anyone that I partner with is giving back, not just taking away.”