Chobani’s four new coffee drinks
Chobani
In 2019, Chobani began branching out into oat milk and coffee creamers as it tried to expand its reputation beyond its signature Greek yogurt.
It kicks off 2021 with another bold item in the category: coffee.
Starting in January, Chobani customers will be able to purchase ready-to-drink coffee drinks from US retailers. The cold brew drinks are available in black or flavored with the company’s sweet creamer, vanilla creamer, or oat milk. The coffee itself is made with 100% Arabica beans.
The product launch comes as more Americans are drinking their coffee at home rather than at the office or coffee shop. According to data from Nielsen, retail sales in the ready-to-drink category grew 17% to $ 1.6 billion in the 52 weeks ended Oct. Keurig Dr Pepper is one of the winners of the trend, with net sales of 3% to $ 1.1 billion in the third quarter from its coffee systems.
But Chobani’s coffee line has been in the works since the successful launch of its coffee creamers, which helped the company educate coffee drinkers.
“We started with the creamer products and it has gone so well that we said let’s continue on our path, and this was the next, natural step for us,” said Chobani’s Chief Innovation Officer Niel Sandfort in an interview.
Sandfort said the company is looking forward to bringing its yogurt flavor expertise into its new categories, including coffee.
Chobani Coffee has a suggested retail price of $ 4.49 per 32-ounce multi-serve package and contains about 85 milligrams of caffeine per serving, which is standard for coffee. The bottles are made with Tetra Top boxes, making them easy to recycle.
“Chobani’s kind of business model, at its core, in terms of food development, is to own the production, so our cost is reasonable, and so we can provide these high quality ingredients, but not as expensive as you think,” said Sandfort.
When it launched its coffee creamers, Chobani focused on using real cream or oat milk, instead of the hydrogenated vegetable oils commonly used in these types of products. Sandfort said the line will attract new customers who have not used a coffee creamer before. And now the company is hoping that Chobani Coffee will bring the same increasing traffic to the ready-to-drink category.