Diving Summary:
- Nestlé is expanding its Natural Bliss creamer to plant-based milk with an offering that combines oats and broad beans, the food and beverage giant said in a statement.
- Plant-based milk has five grams of protein per serving, be protected saying. The drink is designed to be consumed neat or in a shake or cereal.
- The new Natural Bliss Oat Milk will bring Nestlé into an increasingly crowded plant-based milk category and put it in direct competition with companies like Danone, Chobani and Oatly, which have long been involved in the space.
Diving information:
Nestlé, the world’s largest food manufacturer through brands such as Hot Pockets, lean kitchen and Nespressohas been steadily expanding its US presence into plant-based products.
Nestlé entered the plant base in a big way in 2017 with the acquisition of Sweet Earth. The Swiss-based food and beverage maker has also created plant-based spreads for popular brands, including its Coffee mate and Starbucks creamers, while adding plant-based meat as an option in its DiGiorno Pizza and Stouffer’s Lasagna.
It also announced in 2022 that it is exploring products using animal-based dairy proteins, beginning with a test launch of chocolate and milk-like items containing Perfect Day’s precision-fermented whey protein.
The introduction of a milk brings its Natural Bliss brand, known for its connection to dairy products through its creamers, to occasions of plant-based use beyond coffee, as a cereal or drink alone, which be protected previously lost. Even if Natural Bliss Oat Milk doesn’t become a big revenue producer, it allows Nestlé to gain sales that might otherwise have gone to a competitor and, at the same time, increase the brand’s presence in stores.
“We know our consumers are looking for products that are both delicious and nutritious, and this offering comes with a first-to-market oat and broad bean protein blend that offers more protein than the leading oat milk brand, less sugar than cow’s milk and can be enjoyed in various ways, at any time of the day”, Daniel youngpresident of beverages in be protected USA, he said in a statement.
The plant-based oat fava beverages will launch nationwide in supermarkets and mass retailers across the US. They will come in two varieties: Natural Bliss Oat Milk Original and Unsweetened. While the label prominently notes the presence of oats, Nestlé chose to incorporate the high protein Fava bean to improve the nutritional profile of the product.
Alicia Enciso, chief marketing officer for Nestle USA, told Food Dive last year that while plant-based products are “growing at a small rate, they will continue to be extremely important” to the CPG giant.
“Consumers are now requesting that major brands have plant-based options,” he said. “We have such a broad portfolio that we can really offer very similar options.”
Plant-based milk sales accounted for 16% of the entire milk category in 2021, according to the most recent data from SPINS, the Plant Based Foods Association and the Good Food Institute.
