Plant-based milks were on the move at Expo East, with new products for Mooala and new positioning from Strive.
Mooala Simplifies Its Innovation
Best known for its signature banana milks, Mooala sampled its latest plant-based dairy innovation during Expo East: Mooala Organic Simple, a line of shelf-stable almond and oat milks made without gums, oils or additives.
The new non-dairy milks are available online in 32 oz. cartons in 6-packs via Amazon for $36.99 and will retail for $6 per unit in retail.
Mooala founder and CEO Jeff Richards told BevNET that the Organic Simple is targeted towards adult label readers, who he said are more concerned about the additional ingredients like oils and emulsifiers that are added to most mainstream plant-milk offerings. In turn, the carton packaging is more minimalistic in its look and feel than Mooala’s core vibrant plastic bottles.
“It’s really an expansion of our current organic offering, which is aimed at a little bit more of a premium offering,” Richards said. “It’s not as family friendly in its packaging, it has kind of a more premium look and feel to it.”
But it’s not just the health-conscious adult Mooala is innovating for; the brand also previewed the packaging for an upcoming single-serve line of its flavored banana milks which are aimed at both children and adults. Richards said the brand has found its multi-serve banana milk products are typically drunk straight by consumers, prompting a new line of 8 oz. drinks available in Vanilla, Strawberry and Chocolate flavors. The single-serve milks will launch in Sprouts stores in January and will be sold in 12-packs.
Based in Texas, Mooala plant-based milks are now available in over 12,000 points of distribution across the U.S., including retailers like Publix, H-E-B, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter and Costco as well as regional distribution with “nearly every major banner in the U.S.,” Richards added.
The new innovation push comes after the brand put much of its R&D on hold last year as inflation impacted velocities and the company needed to double down on supporting its existing portfolio, Richards said.
Strive Leads with Freemilk
Animal-free dairy maker Strive is honing its messaging, debuting a rebranded product line that emphasizes the name “Freemilk” over the “Strive” branding at its Expo East booth.
The Kansas-based company makes a line of animal- and lactose-free milks using whey protein and a precision fermentation process which launched last year. The updated line also simplifies the brand’s portfolio, cutting out plant-based offerings like its oat and almond milks in order to lean further into the animal-free dairy position.
That leaves Whole and Chocolate milk offerings, which are made in partnership with Perfect Day, as well as other suppliers founder Dennis Cohlmia and his wife JT told BevNET during the show. Cohlmia noted that the company opted to drop its plant-based offerings in large part due to oversaturation in the dairy alternative space, whereas Freemilk is positioned to sit next to brands like Lactaid and Fairlife in the dairy coolers at grocery stores.