The journey of Protelicious

From kitchen table to category challenger

A gourmet protein brand with science at its core

Our mission: Support the longevity minded and women meet those daily protein needs, while supporting metabolic health, with simplicity and pleasure. NO COMPROMISE.

Protelicious is a functional gourmet food brand that combines French culinary craftsmanship with nutritional science. We challenge the conventional norm that great-tasting food and science-backed health should live apart.

Sheila Partrat, Founder & CEO of Protelicious

Sheila Partrat

Founder & CEO

Sheila Partrat - a Canadian-French food tech founder, former media executive, TED speaker, and published author with 30+ years in Food Science & Wellness. She founded Protelicious to fight pre-diabetes and inflammation in her own family by blending gourmet indulgence with science-backed nutrition.

Sheila holds a degree in Food Science from McGill University and a Master’s in Economics & Media Studies from Université Paris II. Sheila was recognized by Marquis Who’s Who in 2025 for her vision and leadership.

Dr Jean-François Lesgards, Chief Science Officer & Founding Partner

Dr. Jean-François Lesgards

Chief Science Officer & Founding Partner

Dr. Jean-François Lesgards is an expert in nutrition, health, and inflammatory diseases. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from Aix-Marseille University and worked five years in the USA and Canada at leading cardiology and research institutes (Diabetes & Obesity Center - Division Molecular Cardiology, University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA, and Heart Institute of Montreal, QC, Canada).

His recommendation of a specific high-quality, cold-filtered whey protein concentrate became the scientific foundation of Protelicious and helped shape the brand’s science-backed product innovation.

1

The Early Years in Hong Kong

Sheila’s journey began in Hong Kong, where she balanced family life and a demanding career while searching for better everyday nutrition.

Hong Kong, where Sheila's search for better everyday nutrition began
2

A Health Wake-Up Call

Facing family gut-health challenges, inflammation, cravings, and her own prediabetes diagnosis, she set out to find a better answer through food.

A medical check-up — the prediabetes diagnosis that started the search
3

Science Enters the Kitchen

Health, nutrition and inflammatory diseases expert Dr. JF Lesgards introduced her to high-quality daily whey protein—cold-filtered, undenatured, and sourced from pasture-raised cows.

Dr Jean-François Lesgards, CSO & Founding Partner
4

When Taste Broke the Barrier

Once her French family embraced it, it became a daily ritual. Sheila’s physician, Dr. Lauren Bramley saw the transformation and said, “If it tastes good, it gets integrated.”

Sheila with ESSENTIAL gourmet whey, the daily ritual her family embraced
5

Protelicious Is Born

Founded in Hong Kong in 2017, where Sheila lived with her family at the time, Protelicious became known for gourmet whey blends with exceptional ingredients and no added sugar.

The Protelicious team with the first gourmet whey blends
6

A Pause, Then Demand

The business paused after 2020 with COVID and political upheaval in Hong Kong with her family’s transition to North America. Then customers started reaching out looking for Protelicious. Demand eventually led the brand to France and the US.

Sheila and her family in Hong Kong, before the move to North America
7

A Mission That Grows

The real start was after 2022, when Protelicious evolved into a US-focused gourmet functional food brand with its first vertical innovation: a proprietary French-chef-designed gourmet and good-for-you cream. In 2026, Protelicious then “cracked the code” on soft serve with one of the first protein versions on the market.

The French-chef-designed gourmet cream, the brand's first vertical innovation

What started at Sheila’s kitchen table became a brand built on one belief: great taste and science-backed health should never live apart.

Clean Ingredients

Nothing artificial. Ever.

Science-Backed

Formulated with purpose.

Gourmet Quality

Wellness you’ll look forward to.

No Compromise

Health, pleasure, and longevity work together.

No Added Sugar

No added sugar. Ever.