The pioneer of organic, cold-pressed beverages expands into a new category with plant-based protein shake line

Suja Organic, a leader in cold-pressed, organic beverages in the U.S., announced the launch of Suja Organic Protein Shakes, a new line of elevated ready-to-drink (RTD) protein. It offers 16 g of plant-based pea, rice and hemp protein, and convenient, transparent nutrition from plants. Available in three varieties including Vanilla Cinnamon, Chocolate and Coffee Bean. The new product offering marks Suja Organic’s entry into the fast-growing RTD protein market.

Suja Organic’s purposeful protein blends combine powerhouse whole foods, functional ingredients, essential vitamins (Vitamins A, B, C, D and E), minerals (iron, calcium and potassium), and macro-nutrients for foundational nutrition. Each shake is 200 calories, blended with almond milk and coconut cream for rich smoothness, with 3 – 4 grams of Acacia fiber.

Additional flavour details include:

• Vanilla Cinnamon – The perfect balance of vanilla with a swirl of cinnamon and a smooth finish. Think of the milk you look forward to drinking at the end of a bowl of cereal.
• Chocolate – Cocoa and salt support a bold chocolatey flavour. A mix of memorable flavours like chocolate pudding and chocolate milk comes through with each sip.
• Coffee Bean – Subtle coffee flavour with underlying notes of creamy, smooth vanilla and cocoa in a plant-based offering.

Suja Organic was founded in 2012 with a mission to provide foundational nutrition. With the introduction of Suja Organic Protein Shakes, the company aims to further its purpose by providing customers with a healthy, convenient beverage as part of a well-balanced diet. The high-quality, plant-rich concentrated blends harness nutrition straight from nature with protein from real organic plants, vitamins, and nutrients that recharge, balance, and fuel the body.

Suja Organic Protein Shakes will retail for $4.99 per 12oz. bottle and are available in the U.S. in Target stores and on target.com.

About Suja Organic:
Suja Organic is a leading organic, Non-GMO, cold-pressed juice brand and among the fastest growing beverage companies in the U.S. Suja began from a shared dream to help people transform their lives through conscious nutrition and is notably one of the first juice companies to offer organic, cold-pressed juice. Each of Suja’s handcrafted lines are certified organic, Non-GMO project verified and cold pressured to preserve maximum nutrition and taste. With cold-pressed juices and functional shots, there’s a product for every lifestyle. Suja is available for purchase at most major grocery and natural foods stores in the U.S. and select products can be purchased online at SujaOrganic.com.

Koia announces Thomas DeLauer, world-renowned ketogenic lifestyle expert, will collaborate with Koia on product development for the keto lifestyle and today, introduces the new limited-edition Koia Keto Raspberry Lava Cake. DeLauer, who has been an avid fan and supporter of Koia’s Keto line, will collaborate with the brand on new plant-based keto innovations and nutrition education.

This plant-forward keto innovation challenges critical believe around the keto lifestyle, showcasing that one can, in fact, reach ketosis healthfully while leading a partial or fully plant-based diet. Koia, being one of the only nutrition shakes on the market to deliver all the 9 essential amino acids needed to replace animal-based protein, provides an ideal solution for those looking to include more plant-based options into their keto regimen. This launch, and investment in the keto space, is a testament to the brand’s continued commitment and mission of making the plant-based lifestyle more accessible for everyone.

When working together on this product, Koia and DeLauer wanted something that tasted indulgent and comforting, so they selected Koia Keto Raspberry Lava Cake as the signature flavour, inspired by DeLauer’s favourite keto-friendly dessert that his wife makes – Chocolate Lava Cake with a raspberry sauce. Raspberries are one of DeLauer’s go-to keto friendly fruits and a key ingredient in his wife’s recipe. The raspberry tartness balances the richness of the chocolate for a delicious flavour that Koia and DeLauer worked closely to capture in this product, with DeLauer tasting many formulations until they landed on the perfect taste.

“Everything we do at Koia is about health, function and taste, so collaborating with Thomas DeLauer is a natural alignment with our brand,” says Chris Hunter, Co-founder and CEO of Koia. “He keeps up with all the latest research in the keto space and really understands ingredients and their functionality. Plus, the fact that the Raspberry Lava Cake is based on his favourite dessert that his wife makes at home, gives the product extra heart.”

Raspberry Lava Cake delivers ideal macro ratios with two high-performing, functional ingredients: macadamia nut milk and pumpkin seed protein. Macadamia nut milk is known to provide a significant amount of palmitoleic acid and is an ideal fat-to-protein ratio (2:1) for enhanced keto support. Pumpkin seed protein is a healthy clean protein source high in zinc, which can support the keto process and recovery. Raspberry Lava Cake contains 3 g net carbs, 8 g C8 MCT oil, 10 g protein, and 0 g added sugar per bottle, the ideal nutrition profile to accelerate ketosis.

Koia’s 100 % plant-based Keto shake line also includes other dessert-inspired flavours like Chocolate Brownie, Caramel Crème, Cookies ‘N Cream and Cake Batter. Consumers can purchase Koia Keto Raspberry Lava Cake, priced at USD 3.99 per bottle, for a limited time at drinkkoia.com.

The estimated revenue generated from the global ready-to-drink shakes market is US$ 9 Bn in 2019, and is projected to reach US$ 16 Bn by 2028. The market is therefore projected to rise at a CAGR of ~6 % between 2020 and 2028.

Globally, functional drinks are sought after for their high protein content and their demand is likely to rise steadily over the forecast period. A key factor resulting in increasing consumption of functional drinks is the increase in the consumer spending power, especially in developing nations. Ready-to-drink shakes which constitute a category of functional drinks are available in various flavours for retail sales in the global market. Some of these flavours are chocolate, banana, strawberry, among others. The global market of ready-to-drink shakes is analyzed on the basis of various flavours. These products are available for sale in different packaging forms, like bottles, tetra packs/cartons, and cans, which offers heightened convenience. Ready-to-drink shakes are meeting the current health and wellness demand in such a way that the drinks offer high protein amount with added specialty health ingredients.

Key takeaways from the ready-to-drink shake market study

• Obesity is one of the strong issues faced by countries such as the U.S., Canada, Australia, U.K., etc. Ready-to-drink shakes are consumed as a meal replacement to achieve the weight management by restricting the calorie intake.
• Due to the increased prevalence of the diseases and subsequently rising trend of health and wellness, ready-to-drink shakes market is expected to witness positive growth over the forecast period.
• Ready-to-drink shakes are being increasingly opted by fitness enthusiasts and athletes, since it allows avoiding the hassle of the mixing of protein powder in the liquid of choice and also the wait.
• Although, ready-to-drink shakes promise excellent results for gym goers and fitness enthusiasts, the product is still in the introductory phase in developing economies and economies are in transition stage. Therefore, because of the premium nature of the product and its expensive price, the market penetration may get hindered in emerging countries.

“Ready-to-drink shakes market is expected to channel upwards due to the excellent marketing strategies of the key players in the global market, resulting in the positive growth in the emerging markets,” says the report analyst.

Easy availability and increasing penetration of manufacturers and sellers of ready-to-drink shakes to positively Impact growth

Due to the increase in the preference for e-commerce platforms for transaction and shopping, the market reach out of the ready-to-drink shakes is anticipated to increase in the developed and developing economies. The boom in the IT sector has led to the development of the various new and easy ways of the transactions and shopping across various domains. The food and beverage industry is also driven by the increased use of the e-commerce platforms, since consumers have top priority for convenience and ease of doing business. Likewise, e-commerce platforms have enthralled the potential buyers of ready-to-drink shakes due to the easy and increased availability of the products, even in remote areas. Ready-to-drink shakes sales across e-commerce platforms are anticipated to rise over the forecast period and likely to be one of the drivers of the market growth.

Who is winning?

Some of the key players operating in the Ready to Drink Shake market are Nestlé S.A, Starbucks Corporation, PepsiCo Inc., Monster beverage Co., Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co., The Coca-Cola Company, The J.M Smucker Company, Bolthouse Farms, Inc., Arla Foods amba, Atkin Nutritionals Inc. and others.

These insights are based on a report on Ready to Drink Shake Market by Future Market Insights.

Sales revenues of organic foods in Europe continue to rise. In addition to traditional drivers like the dry foods category, which includes cereals, trend categories like protein bars and shakes are also growing. “The growing demand for organic products is becoming more and more obvious in health and fitness-related categories,” reports Marc van Essen, Sales Director at SternLife. “So we offer a large part of our range in organic versions as well. From vegan protein bars and protein shakes to breakfast and fitness shakes to smoothie powders, we provide high-quality functional food made with organically grown raw materials, with a difference you can taste.”

SternLife is one of the leading suppliers of functional lifestyle and sports nutrition products. From an extensive range of organic raw materials, the company also develops exclusive organic product lines for major brands. The raw materials can be from animal or plant sources as desired. For example, protein sources can be pea, rice, hemp, sunflower and pumpkin, or milk and whey. “Continuous consumer and market research is fundamental to the successful development of our product concepts. We have a very good knowledge of which organic raw materials are in demand at any given time,” notes SternLife Product Manager Lüder Holsten, adding, “That means we can always implement the latest product trends for our customers.” The proper combination of raw materials is at least as important in order to achieve high bioavailability and thus high product functionality. SternLife developers and technologists examine these aspects very carefully in applications testing.

With regard to the organic market, functional bars are of special interest.  Few organic offerings exist, and demand is rising rapidly. SternLife has therefore developed a wide selection of exciting concepts for the entire range of bars, from Pure to Deluxe. Whether chocolate coated or uncoated, with sprinkled bits or filling, whether vegan or conventional, SternLife has many possibilities for individual product lines with protein content up to 30 % (vegan) or more (conventional).

In the powder category, customers can have SternLife create custom organic shakes for different target groups and occasions, working from a wide portfolio of raw materials. Powders can be conventional or vegan; the vegan powders can contain up to 60 % protein while meeting all sensory requirements. In additional to raw materials from organic agriculture, SternLife naturally also offers UTZ and RSPO-certified raw materials, combined individually to customer order.