A New York entrepreneur pitched his high-protein lupini bean pizzas to stores from a Citi Bike; after launching in 2025, his brand Loopini surpassed $700,000 in revenue by April 2026 | World News

Damiano Messineo turned his passion for food and business into Loopini, a high-protein pizza brand made with lupini beans that has grown from one New York City store to major retail chains. The Italian entrepreneur began developing the product in 2024, using a spreadsheet to create his ideal nutritional label before experimenting with ingredients in his kitchen.After launching in January 2025, he travelled around New York City on a Citi Bike, pitching the pizzas to independent shops and delivering orders himself. The business later entered Whole Foods, Wegmans, and Target. In a 2026 interview with Entrepreneur, Messineo shared that Loopini had surpassed $700,000 in revenue by April.

How Damiano Messineo built Loopini into a high-protein pizza brand

Messineo wanted to create a food business in the United States that combined his interest in entrepreneurship with his love of pizza. Rather than opening a restaurant, he chose to develop a consumer product that could grow at scale. His idea was to make pizza a healthier option that people could eat regularly without viewing it as junk food.In 2024, he used an Excel spreadsheet to develop a nutritional label that suited his goals for a meal. He tested different ingredients from around the world before discovering lupini beans. Although he came from southern Italy, where the beans are widely consumed, he had not eaten many of them while growing up. Research showed him that they were rich in protein and fibre and contained all nine essential amino acids. He also noted their low glycaemic index and mineral content.

From a home kitchen to 50 independent stores in New York City

The early versions of Loopini’s pizza tasted terrible, and it took several months of experimentation to get the recipe right. By October 2024, Messineo and his co-founder, Alessandro Pignataro, had created a minimum viable product. They initially planned to manufacture in the United States but chose Italy because Messineo had stronger connections there. The founders partnered with a small contract manufacturer and launched Loopini in New York City in January 2025. Pop Up Grocer became the brand’s first store.Messineo then travelled around the city on a Citi Bike, approaching independent shops and delivering pizzas himself. The approach helped the business expand from one store to 50 independent retailers over a couple of months. Instead of accepting an early distribution deal, the founders chose to wait until they had greater bargaining power. They entered pitch competitions and won almost every one they took part in.

Whole Foods, Wegmans and Target helped Loopini surpass $700,000

Loopini raised a pre-seed funding round in January 2026. At the time of the interview, Messineo and Pignataro were still the company’s only team members. The business entered its first retail chain, Whole Foods, in January 2026, initially across the Northeast and North Atlantic. A month later, it launched in every Wegmans store. In March, Loopini entered Target, with its products first reaching stores in the Northeast before a nationwide rollout.The company generated $100,000 in revenue in 2025. By April 2026, its revenue had reached $700,000. Loopini had also received offers for national expansion, while other major retailers had expressed interest. The founders were considering these opportunities while focusing on production capacity and product quality before expanding further across the country.

Damiano Messineo ate Loopini pizza for around 100 days while training for an Ironman

Messineo first tested the pizza by eating it for 30 consecutive days in July 2024. After the product hit the market, he decided to run a longer experiment to gather more data on its effects on his body. He ate Loopini pizza for around 100 days, from January 13 to April 26, while tracking physical measurements, blood tests, and stool tests. He also trained for an Ironman to examine whether the product could fuel an endurance athlete.Messineo reported losing four pounds of fat and gaining six pounds of muscle during the challenge. His score, based on 150 biomarkers, rose from 81 out of 100 before the challenge to 89 afterwards. He also completed his first Ironman in Lima, Peru, in five hours and 42 minutes.