When the Phoenix Mercury opened the doors to its $100 million headquarters and practice facility, it wasn’t just encouraging success on the court.
The team wanted to stress the importance of nutrition. To accomplish that, the Mercury unveiled its 2026 badge partner, Hero Bread. The San Francisco-based company’s products have 0-1g net carbs, 0g of sugar, and are packed with dietary fiber and protein per serving.
“It was a little bit of a natural partnership,” said Ben Sussna, Hero’s general manager of retail.
“The Mercury tries to be at the top of the WNBA in everything — how they train, their practice facility — and that extends to the food and the fuel they are putting into their body. Hero’s goods — high-protein, low-net-carb, clean-ingredient breads and pastries — complement the team’s philosophy perfectly.”
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Removing restrictions
Hero Bread was founded on Cole Glass’ lifelong battle against severe food allergies. He came from “an extremely problematic childhood where food allergies were severe and food restrictions were numerous,” said Christina Oyler, general manager for e-commerce, about the brainchild behind the products.
“As an adult, that seemed to be something that might be a restraint on his health potential.”
Out of this came a range of breads and tortillas, pizza crusts and pastries resembling the flavor and texture of traditional baked products.
Consumers paid attention quickly, Oyler said.
“By the end of October 2022, we had bestseller flags on some of our items on Amazon. Those were early signs that we were on the right track.”
Hero hosted a private dinner at the Mercury practice facility in mid-May to showcase the partnership’s versatility. Among the dishes were pasta, burritos and pastries.
“We were saying it was all nicer than all our weddings combined,” Sussna joked.
“Our brand is totally about not having to limit yourself, or compromise.”
Why the Mercury?
The Mercury’s reputation for innovation made it a perfect partner.
“They’ve had so many firsts in the WNBA,” Sussna said. “They were the first to have a $100 million practice facility for a professional women’s sports team. They’re the first team with three courts. They are so forward-thinking, and that’s why we’re excited about the partnership.”
Hero’s retail footprint has exploded from zero. “We were in zero stores three years ago, we are in a little over 9,000 nationally,” Sussna said. That includes Fry’s, Safeway, Albertsons, Bashas’, Target and Sprouts.
A price point of around $10 per loaf has not slowed growth. “It’s all about value,” Sussna said.
“People are willing to pay a bit more because they know that great nutrition comes with a lot of health with it.”
What’s next?
Hero continues to add to that lineup: a 20-gram-protein personal pizza crust.
“It functions mostly like a Boboli,” Oyler said. “You just add toppings and you put it in the oven.”
The brand is also expanding into food service. While most partners are on the East Coast, Burros & Fries will start using Hero tortillas in June.
“You can also have a Hero product in an extremely lavish package,” Sussna said.
“Consumers don’t want to waste any of those carbs and calories on the tortilla. We just want to be the best-tasting, cleanest, healthiest ingredient deck and also the best nutrition. Everyone loves bread. They simply do not love what’s in that package. That’s the role we try to play.”
