STOKE was created by two Furman University XC/Track teammates, Wilkerson and James, during their post-collegiate running careers when they began taking a closer look at the foods they relied on most to fuel their training and racing. Like many endurance athletes, a big part of their pre-run breakfast was peanut butter. But after years of competing at the highest level (and studying nutrition along the way) they realized peanut butter offered a limited nutrient profile, was often highly processed, and lacked the full range of micronutrients needed to support both immediate performance demands and long term health.

Spending time around professional runners across the endurance sports community only reinforced this pattern: athletes were fueling with peanut butter, not necessarily because it’s optimal, but because there weren’t more performance focused and nutritionally comprehensive alternatives. Thus, Wilkerson and James saw an opportunity to rethink what their pre-run peanut butter could be.

They set out to create something better: a nut butter optimized for both athletic performance and nutrient density. Rather than relying on only a few, limited ingredients or isolated nutrients, they combined a diverse range of nuts, seeds, and complementary whole foods to build a more intentional and comprehensive nutrient profile. After years of research, formulation, and taste testing, STOKE was born: an athletic performance focused, nutrient-dense multi-nut and seed butter built on nutritional fundamentals, not trends or gimmicks, for people committed to the process of progress.