Even Farmers Can Sell Supplements to Gym Junkies With The Right Branding

The Neelmans of Ballerina Farm have proven once again that storytelling is making a comeback. If you haven’t yet seen the video we’re going to talk about here, take a break and go watch it now. Here’s the link.

Ballerina Farm has grown rapidly over the last few years, with their Instagram account, @ballerinafarm, boasting 10.4 million followers (as of October 2025, when I am writing this). It all started with a married couple, Hannah and Daniel Neelman, and their eight (or nine?) children on a relatively small farm in Utah. They initially launched sourdough kits with freeze-dried starter named “Willa” by Hannah, then expanded to boxes with meats sourced from their farm, then baked goods, before opening their brick-and-mortar farm stand with fresh produce and raw milk. They have since expanded further with a restaurant and bakery.

With that context in mind, let’s dive in. Earlier this year, they announced that they would be selling protein powder, which may have seemed like a stretch given their country-farm aesthetic, especially considering that protein powders mostly appeal to vegans and gym junkies, but the protein powder is whey-based, connecting it to their dairy farm roots.

Now, there’s an electrolyte supplement being added to their repertoire. When I first heard this, I wondered why they were seemingly severing their roots (much like Taylor Swift did when she denounced country music), that is, until I saw the announcement video.

The video shows Daniel working on the farm, Hannah gearing up to do some pirouettes in their at-home ballet studio, then immediately transitioning from an arabesque to swinging a saddle over a horse, giving viewers the first parallel of athletes to farmers. The video goes on to show the similarities between runners, cyclists, and the average gym-attending Joe, and the farmers we love to watch on our screens every day. Not only did this launch seamlessly connect to their company’s core, but it also made us feel connected to the founding family.

This video is proof that with the right marketing, the right strategy, and the right creative team on your side, you can sell anything. Not only can you sell anything, but you can do so effectively.