Rising consumer demand for convenient, high-protein, and multifunctional beverages is reshaping the global coffee market, with the proffee trend, coffee blended with protein, emerging as one of the fastest-growing developments in functional drinks. The shift is supported by a 2025 Q4 consumer survey1, which found that 66 % of global respondents stated that their food and drink purchases are always or often influenced by a product’s impact on health and wellbeing, while 61 % said that time and budget considerations shape their choices, according to GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.
Originally popularised through social media and fitness communities, proffee has rapidly evolved from a niche lifestyle habit into a commercially significant category. Health-conscious consumers and fitness enthusiasts are increasingly adopting protein coffee as a practical way to boost daily protein intake while maintaining coffee’s familiar taste and energising benefits.
Nishitha Ranga, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Consumers are redefining coffee’s role in their daily routines, moving beyond caffeine toward beverages that support broader wellness and performance goals. The proffee trend reflects a growing preference for ‘all-in-one’ drinks that deliver energy, nutrition, and convenience, particularly among younger, health-conscious consumers balancing fast-paced schedules with fitness and wellbeing priorities.”
Functional beverage convergence accelerates category growth
The rise of proffee reflects a broader convergence between traditional beverage categories and sports nutrition. Coffee is increasingly being used as a functional delivery system for protein, vitamins, and other performance-oriented ingredients, mirroring the wider shift toward hybrid beverages that combine multiple health benefits in a single product.
This convergence is being driven by the growing popularity of high-protein diets, the expansion of the fitness economy, and consumer interest in products aligned with weight management, muscle recovery, and sustained energy.
Ranga adds: “Convenience is emerging as a key driver of the proffee trend. With busy lifestyles, beverages that combine caffeine and protein are increasingly used as breakfast replacements, mid-morning snacks, or post-workout recovery drinks. Proffee aligns perfectly with the needs of time-pressed consumers, offering portable, nutritionally balanced, and satisfying options.”
Social media and fitness culture accelerate adoption
Social media platforms and fitness communities have played a critical role in scaling proffee, with influencers promoting it as a convenient post-workout or on-the-go breakfast solution. Viral recipes and lifestyle content have helped normalize adding protein to coffee, expanding the trend’s appeal beyond athletes to office workers, students, and busy professionals seeking sustained energy and improved satiety.
Brands respond with new launches across cafés and retail
The growing popularity of proffee has prompted coffee operators and functional beverage brands to introduce protein-enhanced offerings across both café and ready-to-drink formats.
In September 2025, Starbucks introduced protein-enhanced lattes and cold foam options across stores in the US and Canada, allowing customers to customise beverages with 15–36 g of protein. In the same month, Bulletproof introduced High Protein Iced Coffee, an instant iced coffee mix designed for busy, health-focused consumers, offering 12 g protein per serving from premium whey protein and formulated with no artificial flavours or sweeteners.
In August 2025, Tim Hortons launched hot and iced protein lattes made with a lactose-free, high-protein dairy base, delivering up to 20 g of protein per serving. Beyond major chains, challenger brands have also entered the space. In July 2025, Javy Coffee launched a protein-fortified coffee concentrate aimed at digital-first consumers seeking convenient, clean-label nutrition, delivering 10 g protein per serving.
These launches highlight how the proffee trend is being shaped by both global operators and niche wellness-focused innovators, signalling strong cross-category momentum.
Ranga concludes: “The proffee trend illustrates how consumer expectations around beverages are evolving from single-purpose refreshment to multifunctional nutrition. Brands that successfully balance taste, texture, and credible protein delivery will be best placed to capitalise on this shift. As the functional beverage market continues to diversify, proffee is likely to remain a key driver of innovation within the global coffee industry.”
1GlobalData 2025 Q4 global consumer survey was conducted with 22,613 respondents across 42 countries.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, functional drinks have been gaining momentum, with nootropics, immunomodulators, and botanics becoming household terms. Adaptogens, which claim to address rising concerns of stress, anxiety, and balance restoration, have been gaining ground rapidly. In addition, these ingredients help address the challenge of providing consumers with value for money by maintaining quality at steady prices. Against this backdrop, adaptogens are set to become mainstream ingredients, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Bokkala Parthasaradhi Reddy, Lead Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Over the last few years, a health-oriented approach to life has gained a new meaning. Globally, an increasing number of consumers are seeking products that will help them address specific aspects of their overall wellness, such as stress management, sufficient rest, anxiety-easing, and embracing sobriety or mindful drinking. As a result, they are reaching out for goods with added functionalities, active ingredients, or clearly stated health benefits. With their neuroprotective, anti-fatigue, and anti-depressive properties, adaptogens provide multiple benefits, such as boosting immunity, easing anxiety, and relieving stress, which are some of the major consumer focus areas following the pandemic.”
Deepak Nautiyal, Consumer and Retail Commercial Director, APAC and Middle East at GlobalData, notes; “Adaptogens are the new functional ingredients that have found a foothold in non-alcoholic drinks. They can be plant-based or synthetic and can be easily added to a multitude of drinks, such as carbonates, juice, and tea/coffee without altering the flavor or taste profile of these drinks. One of the primary advantages of adaptogens is the ease of use, as they can be consumed as dietary supplement capsules, in teas, or added to non-alcoholic drinks such as carbonates and juice. However, adaptogens cannot be termed as exclusive ingredients as many of them provide the benefits of nootropics and immunomodulators and the other way around.”
Reddy adds: “Some of the common plant-based adaptogens include Panax ginseng, Rhodiola crenulata, and Schisandra chinensis, which have been used to control or manage multiple conditions, including blood sugar control, brain health, fatigue, anxiety, depression, stress, liver diseases, and menopause symptoms. Ginseng is the most popular among these adaptogens and is widely used for its immunity-boosting attribute. Meanwhile, synthetic adaptogens, known as “actoprotectors” have similar functions and enhance body stability without increasing oxygen consumption or heat production, boosting mental and physical resistance, and increasing blood flow. However, these attributes, which enhance the appeal of synthetic adaptogens, also make them unsuitable for consumption by athletes.”
Nautiyal continues: “In addition to their health benefits, adaptogens also help in engaging consumer interest. With the majority of consumers reeling from the impact of high inflation, value for money has emerged as a key theme in consumer purchases. With rising input costs, manufacturers are being forced to provide more value to the consumer’s dollar. This is reinforced by a GlobalData consumer survey*, wherein 27 % of consumers perceive low price/cheap good value for money, and an equal number of respondents perceive high-quality products/ingredients as value for money.”
Reddy observes: “The addition of adaptogens will help to attract consumers who prefer high-quality ingredients. Moreover, these consumers will be inclined to pay more for proven health benefits, as evident in 84 % and 80 % of respondents in the same survey who opined “good for physical fitness/health” and “good for mental health” as an essential or nice to have features in their purchase decisions.”
Nautiyal concludes: “The benefits of adaptogens, which include managing stress and anxiety, are among the most sought-after features among consumers. In non-alcoholic drinks, adaptogens are being used in beverages positioned as alcohol substitutes, and natural energy drinks or night-time drinks that are claimed to improve the quality of sleep and rest, and their adoption is expanding. However, adaptogens are new to the market, and the potential impact of long-term use has not been proven. For instance, dosage control and the potential reactions to medications are still being studied. Hence, despite the significant benefits, adaptogens cannot be a universal panacea for addressing stress and anxiety. Manufacturers will have to address these concerns to push more brands to adaptogens.”
*GlobalData 2023 Q4 Consumer Survey – Asia & Australasia, with 6,163 respondents
Plant protein powder is no longer exclusive to vegans and athletes, with significant numbers of mainstream consumers now shopping the category, according to new research commissioned by MycoTechnology, Inc., the mushroom mycelial fermentation specialist.
The survey of 725 plant protein powder users, carried out by Brightfield Group in Q1 2023, found that just 17 % of them identified as vegan. Furthermore, 38 % of the respondents in the survey who declared that they purchase only plant-based protein powders said they mixed them with dairy milk, indicating that they buy such products for reasons other than dietary lifestyle choices.
Meanwhile, fewer than half of the respondents in the survey (46 %) identified as athletes, even though as many as 77 % of them said they exercised at least three times a week. The vast majority (93 %) stated that they exercise to support their mental health.
When asked to describe themselves, 34 % of respondents were identified as ‘early adopter’ consumers. Another 31 % were ‘early majority’ shoppers, indicating a shift for plant protein powder into a more mainstream demographic.
When it comes to product quality, plant-based protein powder consumers are in broad agreement. Nearly all of them (92 %) said they would find a product more appealing if it offered higher quality protein, with 91 % attracted by a protein that is more complete. Beyond nutritional factors, 91 % of respondents said they favour products that promise a better taste.
MycoTechnology’s Marketing Director, Jonas Feliciano, commented: “These findings demonstrate that plant protein is smashing apart outdated stereotypes and is now earning strong support among mainstream consumers. The fact that so many blend their plant protein powder with milk is a strong sign that non-vegans consider plant protein to be a conventional product and a key part of a healthy diet. Most notably, all but a few of the respondents to our survey said that they considered protein quality and flavour to be of the utmost importance. The successful plant proteins of the future will be those which are able to tap into the needs and preferences of these highly discerning consumers.”
Bethany Gomez, Managing Director at Brightfield Group, added: “Plant-based protein users are a young, affluent group that prefers cleaner eating–no sugar added, all natural, preservative free–and they’re willing to pay for high quality products with that strong health profile. This group is also more likely to be using functional ingredients, like mushrooms and adaptogens, so we know they’re open to new and alternative ways to get the types of sustenance and nutrition they’re looking for. Brands that strive to offer high quality products, using cutting edge ingredients, will find a group of users ready and willing to dig in.”
A trailblazer in the development of next-generation plant proteins, MycoTechnology offers a line of plant proteins including FermentIQ™ PTP – a pea and rice protein blend fermented by mushroom mycelia to deliver superior performance and nutrition. Providing all essential amino acids, it has a PDCAAS (Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score) of 1.0 for ages 3 and above. Its unique fermentation process also enhances digestibility, enabling 99.9 % of the protein consumed to be easily digested. As a result, FermentIQ™ PTP offers a nutritional value competitive with animal and soy proteins.
MycoTechnology’s proprietary process also deodorises and de-flavours the plant proteins, offering better tasting, more neutral solutions with superior functionality in a range of applications. For those looking to take the taste of their products to the next level, MycoTechnology also offers ClearIQ™ – a natural, clean-label bitter blocker and flavour clarifier.
