#239: SteelFit Is Back - Rob Kaufman on Pro Tan, Steel Fuel, and His Fungies Exit

Rob Kaufman grew up around bodybuilding stages. His father, Stacy Kaufman, founded Pro Tan®, and Rob turned the family’s topical expertise into SteelFit, a sports nutrition and skin fitness brand. In 2020, he also co-founded Fungies, the mushroom gummy brand that reached more than 13,000 stores before the family sold it in July 2026. Now Rob is back on SteelFit full-time, and he’s finally making his debut on Episode #239 of the PricePlow Podcast. Mike and Ben dig into SteelFit’s clean-label rebrand, starting with the new Steel Fuel® pre-workout and its one- or two-scoop dosing, plus the reworked Steel Hydrate amino and electrolyte drink. They also cover Rob’s first HYROX race, why “wellness” marketing misses former athletes in their 30s and 40s, third-party testing, a fish oil supply crunch, and how a self-funded brand uses AI to compete. It’s a candid conversation with a founder building his brand around one idea: staying Still Fit. Through Every Season of Life. https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/rob-kaufman-steelfit-239 Video: Rob Kaufman on SteelFit’s Comeback https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1yTgJTB1ww Detailed Show Notes: SteelFit Founder Rob Kaufman Is Still Fit (0:00) – Introductions (0:45) – Growing Up Around Pro Tan (2:15) – From College Hoops to the Family Business (3:30) – Why SteelFit Spun Off from Pro Tan (5:30) – What “Skin Fitness” Means (8:00) – The Clean Rebrand Reaches the Creams (9:15) – How Abs of Steel Works (10:15) – Five Years Building Fungies (12:30) – Still Fit Through Every Season of Life (14:00) – Wellness Is Great, But Where’s the Pump? (16:00) – Hands-On Manufacturing in South Florida (18:15) – Rebuilding the Lineup from the Top Down (20:00) – Why Peak ATP and Nitrosigine (21:30) – Inside the Steel Fuel Formula (23:15) – Training for HYROX in His Thirties (25:15) – Ahead of the Curve with Steel Releaf (28:15) – Early to Mushroom Gummies, Too (29:15) – What Does “Wellness” Even Mean? (31:00) – No Smoke and Mirrors (32:45) – Creapure Across the Creatine Lineup (34:00) – Quality at a Price People Can Afford (36:30) – Steel Hydrate: Aminos Plus Hydration (38:30) – What’s Next for the Lineup (39:45) – The Fish Oil Supply Squeeze (41:30) – Informed Sport and Creatine’s Comeback (43:00) – Breaking Down a HYROX Race (45:15) – The Mental Side of HYROX (47:45) – Can SteelFit Land a HYROX Booth? (49:15) – Topicals for HYROX and Creatine on the Skin (51:30) – Creatine for Kids and Protein on Hold (52:45) – Direct to Consumer, Not TikTok Shop (55:30) – Lessons from Fungies: Inventory and Cash Flow (57:15) – AI Tools for a Self-Funded Brand (59:15) – Execution Over Novel Ideas (1:02:30) – Perfect Shaker and a New SteelFit Logo (1:03:15) – Shredded Steel Gets a Facelift (1:04:30) – Yohimbine, Steel Dreams, and January Launches Where to Follow and Learn More Connect with Rob Kaufman and SteelFit … Read more on the PricePlow Blog