Nut butter-infused Greek yogurt: Chobani launches new sugar-reduced range

16 Jul 2019 --- US Greek yogurt brand Chobani has launched a new range of Greek yogurts combined with nut butters, such as almond, hazelnut and cashew. The new Chobani Greek Yogurt with Nut Butters line is packed with protein and a healthy balance of fats, the company notes, and are made with 30 percent less sugar than other yogurts. The range also provides a half ounce-equivalent of nuts, a recommended protein-rich food. Starting this month, Chobani will release five new products in the range that will be available nationwide at grocery and retail stores.

“Our fans love adding nut butters to their Chobani Greek Yogurt and at our Chobani Café, the combination has consistently been among the best sellers for many years,” says Peter McGuinness, Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer at Chobani. “This inspired us to create a new platform, pairing Greek Yogurt with nut butters like almond and hazelnut, to create a food that’s high in protein, has less sugar than other yogurts and just the right amount of healthy fats to power consumers throughout the day.”

McGuinness says that the launch is an innovation that will bring more excitement and consumption to the yogurt category that continues to be under-penetrated in the US.

The Chobani Greek Yogurt with Nut Butters platform includes:

• Vanilla Greek Yogurt with Almond Butter.
• Plain Greek Yogurt with Almond Butter.
• Honey Greek Yogurt with Almond Butter.
• Chocolate Greek Yogurt with Hazelnut Butter.
• Vanilla Greek Yogurt with Cashew Butter.

Snacking and sugar reduction trends
The release taps into the feel-good snacking trend, according to the company. An Innova Market Insights survey (Consumer Lifestyle and Attitudes Survey, 2018) found that 63 percent of Millennials are replacing meals with snacks due to busy lifestyles. The market researcher also reports that snacking is a central focus of innovation across all food and beverage categories, with 10 percent average annual growth of global launches with a snacking claim over the past five years (CAGR, 2013-2017).

Chobani has launched a new range of Greek yogurts combined with nut butters, such as almond, hazelnut and cashew.Chobani is touted as being the most popular US brand for Greek yogurt, while it is the second largest overall yogurt manufacturer in the US. Like all Chobani products, Chobani Greek Yogurt with Nut Butters are made using only natural, non-GMO ingredients and no artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners or preservatives to adhere to the company’s authentic Chobani craft and food philosophy, shares the company.

The release is also touching on the sugar reduction trend, as consumers are increasingly health-oriented in their food choices. Yogurt is a market category that has also been found to sell products with high sugar levels to largely unknowing consumers, a British Medical Journal survey found last year.

Innova Market Insight’s Consumer Lifestyle and Attitudes Survey (2018), also showed that nearly seven out of ten consumers across the countries surveyed (US, UK, France, Germany, China and Brazil) are looking to reduce their sugar intake. In line with the trend, the Chobani Greek Yogurt with Nut Butter line contains 11g of sugar per 5.3oz, while other yogurts contain approximately 17g of sugar per 5.3oz. 

More flavors and innovation
The brand is releasing additional new flavors that will hit the shelves later this summer. The upcoming flavors include:

• Chobani Greek Yogurt Peaches & Cream, a blended whole milk Greek Yogurt,
• Chobani Flip Cookie Dough, a vanilla low-fat Greek Yogurt with cookie dough pieces, cookie rice crisps & milk chocolate chips.
• Chobani Flip Boston Cream Pie, a vanilla low-fat Greek Yogurt with yellow cake crunch, custard clusters & chocolate chips

 The range also provides a half ounce-equivalent of nuts, a recommended protein-rich food.In January, the company launched its first-ever plant-based, non-dairy recipe products, which only contain natural ingredients, are low in sugar and are packed with probiotics. By entering the non-dairy space, the company sought to capitalize on consumers’ growing interest in plant-based alternatives to products traditionally derived from animal proteins. Even though the Chobani recipe already hit shelves in the US, the company is mindful of European legislation that outlaws dairy alternatives from using terms like “yogurt.”  It claims to be ahead of the game with its new cultured organic coconut products. 

Earlier this month, Chobani launched a holistic program to support the economic, environmental and social impacts of milk. The Milk Matters program is a collaboration with Fair Trade USA, as well as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), National Milk Producers Federation, Cornell University, state programs and community foundations in Idaho and New York. The program is intended to take a comprehensive approach toward increasing transparency, in an effort to address the challenges today’s dairy industry faces. 

Edited by Kristiana Lalou