Our Story

Before HYLOR was a beverage, it was a standard.

Led by taste. Built with food science.

Ariana Pourbabak, PharmD, founder of HYLOR

A letter from our founder

It began at the table.

Long before I thought about putting a drink in a can, I was cooking, arranging flowers and setting tables. I paid attention to the small things that made people feel considered: how flavors worked together, the texture of a dessert, the flowers beside the plates and the warmth of the room.

Sometimes I was setting a table for five people. Sometimes it was for 150. The number never changed the standard.

My training is in clinical pharmacy and food science. I am also a wife, a mother, a cook, a florist and a host. Each role has taught me to pay attention to what people need and how an experience makes them feel.

Around 3 PM, I often wanted something that felt like a treat but still offered real substance. Dirty sodas were playful and indulgent, but they did not deliver the protein I wanted. Protein shakes offered substance, but they often felt too thick and heavy for the moment.

I kept wondering why there could not be something between them.

Continue reading Close founder letter

So I began developing HYLOR.

Early pours made the challenge obvious. When I pushed for more dairy body, the sparkle could disappear. When I lifted the carbonation, the drink could turn sharp. I kept tasting, adjusting and pouring it over ice until the two began to feel like they belonged together.

Most days, formulation meant tasting, adjusting and returning to the same practical questions:

Is the texture right?
Does the carbonation feel lively?
Is the flavor balanced, or simply sweet?
Would I want to finish the entire can?

For me, hospitality is paying attention to how someone will feel. It is respecting their time, their taste and the trust they place in what you serve them. That same care belongs in a beverage.

Food science helps me understand what the ingredients and process are doing. Taste tells me whether the result is worth serving. HYLOR has to satisfy both.

HYLOR is my answer to that afternoon moment: something cold, creamy and sparkling, with protein built into a drink that still feels like a treat.

If I would not be proud to serve it, it is not ready.

Ariana Pourbabak, PharmD

Food Scientist · Founder

This is my table. You are welcome at it.

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Medical Advisor

Dr. Sam Pourbabak, M.D.

Endocrinology · Diabetes & Metabolism

Dr. Sam Pourbabak is a board-certified endocrinologist with decades of clinical experience in diabetes, metabolism and hormonal health. As Director of Thyroid and Adrenal Disease at SCKE, he has spent his career helping patients navigate the complex relationship between nutrition, metabolism and long-term health. His background also includes research at UCLA involving closed-loop insulin delivery technology and metabolic hormones associated with obesity.

As HYLOR’s Medical Advisor, Dr. Pourbabak brings a clinician’s perspective to our commitment to thoughtful, science-informed nutrition — helping us keep metabolic health and the realities of everyday life at the center of how we think about our products.