Beer Marketer's Insights - NEW PRODUCTS: Riding Hot Hand with Protein+ Entry, Super Coffee Adds Flavors, Tetra Paks, Powders to Platform

Protein+ concept that started as a single bottled sku in Apr now has become an extended platform straddling multiple formats as Kitu Life Super Coffee rides what's proved to be a hot hand in protein-crazy environment. These days, co that started with take on Bulletproof Coffee styles itself as "the original protein coffee." A key plank in repositioning of Austin-based Super Coffee, Protein+ debuted in Mocha Latte flavor in 12-oz PET bottle and by late Nov had exceeded $10 mil in shipments, by far fastest new entry to attain that milestone in 11-yr history of co launched in Baltimore by trio of college-athlete brothers. It had undergone arduous development process as innovation team led by cofounder Jordan DeCicco worked to develop packaging that hit the right cues for protein shakes rather than the bottled coffee that's been their focus for so many years.With item clearly resonating, co has been scrambling to capitalize. It added Vanilla and Caramel flavors and augmented its presence in Kroger with Walgreens and CVS, among major chains, which both took all 3 sku's, as cofounder/chief commercial officer Jake DeCicco told us this morning. Cumberland Farms operator EG Group is taking line into 1,100 stores via new "engineered nutrition" section comprised of Core Power, Muscle Milk and Protein+. Also a strong partner has been Food Lion, with 1,100 stores that reach lower-income shoppers with greater propensity to be on GLP-1 weight-loss regimens. Next up in Jan is fourth flavor, Caffe Latte, a popular flavor that generates $200 mil at retail for Premier Protein. It will roll out thru network as single-serve item and also hit Costco via exclusive 15-pk. Production just commenced at copacker Niagara.Even as those single-serve bottles moved out thru DSD network, co quickly onboarded multipack Tetra Pak versions to Costco, HEB and Walgreens outside that network, Jake told us today.Latest addition starting on Black Friday was bagged powder version that brings 25 g of protein and 80 mg caffeine but zero sugar, for just 130 calories per serving. The line unusually employs grassfed beef protein encountered by innovation leader Jordan, Jake indicated. That's out in Vanilla Latte and Mocha Latte flavors in 14-oz bags good for 11 servings that list at $39.99 on DTC site. It quickly gets Protein+ into segment plied by TikTok-friendly protein coffee brands like Javvy and others in general powdered-coffee space like Everyday Dose and Ryze.

NEW PRODUCTS: Riding Hot Hand with Protein+ Entry, Super Coffee Adds Flavors, Tetra Paks, Powders to Platform

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