• 👀 Blue Stripes’ New Growth Capital Plan
• 🥬 Koia for the Kids
• ☕ JAB Acquires JDE Peet’s Shares
• 🙂 Best Day’s Good Funding News

The popularity of flavored beers is on the rise. From fruity sour beers to barrel-aged stouts, the flavor choices are wide-ranging. And, if you have questions about creating a successful and delicious new brewery product, the Product Development team at Allen Flavors has the answers you need. Learn more

Chobani is putting on some muscle, in more ways than one. 

As management emphasized during their coming out party at Expo West in March, Chobani and La Colombe are being presented as independent but equal partner brands; at NACS this month, show reps wore shirts with “Chobani ❤️ La Colombe” at their shared booth, where draft lattes were flowing alongside drinkable yogurts. Yet in terms of innovation, this year’s show was all about the Greek yogurt brand’s move to capture a bigger piece of the ever-swelling protein market.

In terms of product positioning, Chobani’s potential moves were somewhat limited: its regular Greek yogurt drinks have 10 grams of protein per 7 oz. bottle, while its Complete (20 grams of protein in its five SKUs) line is still around and performing well in c-stores, Frost said.  

But the new High Protein line spreads the attack across no less than 10 new drinks spanning three formats, starting with a 7 oz. bottle (15 grams protein) available in two flavors for $1.99 each. The middle tier offers the most flavors (six) in 10 oz. bottles with 20 grams of protein each. Finally there’s a 14 oz. size that packs 30 grams of protein in two flavors, putting it in the range of the highest-payload products from OWYN. 

It may be a crowded space, but like La Colombe with coffee, Chobani believes the core proposition of its protein drinks is particularly compelling, ticking boxes for no added sugar, natural ingredients and high-quality casein protein. Data shows that nearly 80% of yogurt consumers are looking for more on-the-go options, Frost noted, and with c-stores driving around 30% of overall growth in yogurt drinks, Chobani will have the product range to help retailers flesh out their growing sets when Protein launches in January. Having a large brand commit to the format may also be good news for other cold-chain protein players – think Koia and Remedy Organics – that are making inroads at convenience, too.

Chobani’s gambit is indicative of the general momentum behind protein drinks, despite being a not-so-new trend. As flavor trends lean into nostalgia and indulgence (see: candy), protein-rich flavored milk presents a natural canvas for innovation: see Spylt, a Utah-based brand that produced one of the more impressive NACS debut booths in recent memory, an expensive-looking array of fully-stocked coolers and multimedia displays. The product itself is caffeinated flavored milk offering up 60 mg caffeine, zero sugar and 20 grams of protein per 11 oz. slim can across its core line.

Insiders can access more insights and key takeaways from the show floor on BevNET.

Blue Stripes, the brainchild of renowned chocolatier Oded Brenner, is looking to increase brand awareness, drive sales and roll out new marketing efforts to support its whole cacao products with the support of a recent $20 million Series B funding round led by Zintinus.

🤝 In-store demos will be key to the New York-based company’s efforts with the goal of familiarizing consumers with the flavor of the cacao fruit; it will also partner with influencers across several industries – from food to fitness to wellness – to help share its sustainability story.

 💭 “The main thing for us is telling the story of the cacao fruit that consumers will understand, leading to them trying and purchasing the products,” Brenner told Nosh last week. “What we’re doing with cacao is incredibly real.”

🌍 In the past 18 months alone, Blue Stripes has upcycled 968 tons of cacao fruit and shells, avoided 9.8 tons of methane emission – equal to the amount of carbon absorbed by 290 acres of forests – and conserved 60,000 gallons of water, according to Brenner.

BevNET Insiders can learn more about Blue Stripes’ plans for growth in the full story.

Koia is going K-12 with its latest line extension: a new Kids version of its protein shakes offered up in smaller pack sizes and kid-friendly flavors like Chocolate Shake, Vanilla Shake and Fruity Cereal.

🧒🏼 The 8 oz. drinks are formulated for children’s nutritional needs with 9 grams of plant-based protein and just 4 grams of sugar. The products are free from the top nine allergens and do not contain seed oils.

👶🏽 Koia CEO Chris Hunter said the line was inspired by his own family, and believed that if his kids liked the brand’s core protein drinks that there could be a market for more parents seeking healthy beverage options for their children.

🧑🏽‍💻 Koia Kids is currently available online via Amazon, following the brand’s ecommerce extension this summer. There’s no immediate outline for a retail launch, but Hunter said the brand hopes to expand the line in the future.

BevNET insiders can get all of the insight into Koia’s kiddie expansion in the full story.

Stay ahead with our comprehensive report on innovative thirst. Learn about the latest trends, consumer needs, and product opportunities shaping the future of functional beverages. Get your free report and personalized recommendations for your brand. Learn more

Luxembourg-based investment holding company JAB has acquired all of Mondelēz’s 86 million shares in JDE Peet’s in a $2.4 billion deal to increase its majority stake in the international coffee business.

• JAB has distributed around 43 million shares of JDE Peet’s to over 70 limited partners, representing around 9% of total issued and outstanding shares in the business and increasing free float to 32%, according to the company.

• The deal was announced this morning alongside the appointment of former Kraft Heinz exec Rafael “Rafa” Oliveira as CEO and stand-in executive director of JDE Peet’s, effective November 1. The appointment marks the end of a six-month search for a new chief executive begun by JDE Peet’s board in April.

Non-alcoholic craft beer business Best Day Brewing had quite a good day last week, announcing it has raised $22.5 million so far this year from new and existing investors.

🌅 Best Day makes a range of NA beers including a West Coast IPA, Hazy IPA, Kölsch and Electro-Lime varieties, with a distribution footprint reaching 35 states and retailers like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Safeway, Albertsons, Target, Sprouts and Kroger, among others.

🍻 The company says the financing is a show of strength for the NA beer and adult alternatives categories. As competitors like Athletic Brewing have rapidly scaled up their businesses in recent years, Best Day said it has also experienced rapid growth since launching in 2022.

🌝 "This is a very exciting new chapter for Best Day. We have come a long way and know none of this would be possible without the support of investors, key retailers, distributors, team members, and of course, consumers," said chief strategic officer and co-founder Mike Sheehan, in a release.