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Starbucks coffee packs a protein punch (Image: Starbucks)<\/p>\nIf you\u2019re looking for beverage trends, you look to Starbucks. And this year, there\u2019s no doubt: protein has hit the beverage category. <\/p>\n
Last month, the coffee giant launched RTD Starbucks Coffee & Protein in retail: blending Starbucks coffee with 22g of complete protein, 5g of prebiotic fibre, five vitamins, and minerals.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s growing demand for drinks that do more: and protein is a top priority for many American consumers (80% say they prioritise the nutrient in their diet daily). <\/p>\n
Starbucks coffee packs a protein punch (Image: Starbucks)<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s not just coffee. Protein is now expanding across the beverage aisle, in many different ways.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s meal replacement drinks, which pack a protein punch. There\u2019s dairy drinks which lean into their protein credentials.<\/p>\n
But the brands gaining the biggest traction in the space are ones that are reinventing how we think of protein. <\/p>\n
Protein: into everyday products<\/p>\n
Protein is no longer about thick nutritional smoothies for fitness freaks. Innovation is taking protein and putting it into everyday categories where it can reach everyday consumers.<\/p>\n
Protein coffee, for example, takes protein and puts it into a drink millions of people consume every morning. It\u2019s the same for coffee creamers: where protein is increasingly showing up in the functional evolution of the category.<\/a> <\/p>\n Protein soda<\/a>, for example, is distancing itself from the performance-focused, hard-core gym culture traditionally associated with protein shakes.<\/p>\n \u201cBarebells and Koia are great examples,\u201d Betty Kaufman, strategy director at US food and beverage agency, The Culinary Edge.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth built credibility in protein bars and RTD protein beverages, respectively, and are now extending into soda as a SKU, bringing their trusted brand equity to a new format for alternative protein occasions.\u201d <\/p>\n Now GLP-1 drugs are adding a new dimension: as consumers\u2019 appetites fade, so does their protein intake. <\/p>\n That means they\u2019re all the more conscious of where they can get protein: and again, lighter soda choices are far more favourable than heavy dairy drinks.<\/p>\n Coca-Cola and PepsiCo move into protein<\/p>\n The big players have been quietly building up their protein portfolios for some time.<\/p>\n Coca-Cola started backing ultra-filtered milk Fairlife in 2014<\/a>: seeing the potential of the high protein brand. That also included Core Power, a high-protein nutrition shake.<\/p>\n In 2020, Coca-Cola fully acquired Fairlife for close to $1bn<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now ultra-filtered milk<\/a> has become a huge market, not just for Coca-Cola but for a host of other brands in the space. Coca-Cola is investing $650m to expand Fairlife production as the brand sees \u2018significant growth\u2019.<\/p>\n PepsiCo, meanwhile, has Muscle Milk. And last year, it announced a new push into protein: with the Starbucks coffee protein drinks, a reformulated line of Muscle Milk protein shakes, and new Propel flavoured waters with protein, fiber and electrolytes (not to mention the company\u2019s move into protein snacks with Doritos Protein<\/a>).<\/p>\n Protein is now a huge playground for both big brands and beverage entrepreneurs. <\/p>\n Big brands like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are helping the category become mass market: while entrepreneurs are pushing the boundaries of what protein soda, protein waters or protein coffee can be, and where protein can show up.<\/p>\n And this two-pronged attack is moving protein firmly into the mainstream aisle.<\/p>\n \u201cProtein is a phenomenon,\u201d says Danny Stepper, CEO of L.A. Libations and owner of The Beverage Forum<\/a>, where protein will be a key theme of this month\u2019s event. <\/p>\n