Koia

Plant-based protein shake brand Koia is expanding its lineup again with the launch of Koia Coffee, a three-SKU line that features coffee (and 200 mg of caffeine) as well as 5 grams of MCT oil.

The line, which is launching exclusively at Whole Foods nationwide in January 2020, is a pretty close competitor to the likes of Kitu Life Super Coffee and Bulletproof’s RTD offering, with one of the key differences for this brand being that it’s a perishable product.

Compared with the core Koia line, the biggest marketable difference for this line is the added coffee and the caffeine kick that comes with it. This not only creates a new function for the brand, but it also adds a new use occasion and, therefore, customer base to the fold. To that end, we very much like this approach to innovation, as opposed to just adding more flavors to the core line.

The three SKUs include flavors that are flavored coffee staples: Mocha Latte, Vanilla Latte and Salted Caramel. The first ingredient for all of the products is organic fair trade coffee, followed by coconut milk, a blend of plant proteins and MCT oil. Like Koia’s Keto line, the coffees are sugar free and sweetened with monk fruit. 

From a taste perspective, we think they’ve done a superb job with all three. There’s a good amount of coffee flavor which balances well with the richness provided by the underlying protein and coconut milk blend. There’s a touch of coconut flavor in all three, but this ultimately just feels like part of the added flavoring.

Speaking of which, we like the execution of the flavors themselves. They are present but don’t get in the way, helping to bind everything else together. As is often the case with flavored coffee drinks, we found Mocha Latte to be the best tasting. But Vanilla Latte and Salted Caramel, which are relatively mild as far as these flavors typically go, are quite good, too. We honestly wouldn’t change anything about them -- and they’ve even done a really nice job of masking the monk fruit. 

On the outside, these products, which are packaged in 12 oz clear plastic bottles, utilize the core Koia branding scheme that’s found on all of their products. To make it clear that this is a sub line they’ve added “coffee” under the Koia logo and given the label a brown accent color. The end result is something that feels like a part of the Koia brand but is easily identifiable as its own thing. 

Overall, Koia Coffee is a very well-executed line extension that should help further expand the brand’s consumer base. 

Koia, maker of non-GMO verified plant-based nutrition beverages, is expanding its portfolio with a three-flavor line of ketogenic (keto) protein drinks.

Simply called Koia Keto, the line will be launching at Whole Foods in January, in three varieties: Chocolate Brownie, Caramel Creme, and Cake Batter. Each contains  12 grams of plant protein (from brown rice, pea protein, and chickpea protein), 14 g of MCTs from coconut oil, 270 calories and no added sugar, with monk fruit as the preferred sweetener. And since these are keto products, you’ll find 22 g of fat and only 5 grams of net carbs per bottle.

In appearance, Koia has done a really nice job creating something that utilizes its existing branding and 12 oz bottle, but also feels different. It has achieved this by placing a black background on the lower portion of the bottle, which also helps its readability. They’ve also placed “Keto” front and center, so there’s no mistaking the product’s intended use (although we’re sure some consumers may not be familiar with the diet). The hierarchy of nutritional callouts is really straightforward and to the point as well.

As for the flavor, this is one area where the products can improve. Across the three flavors, we found inconsistencies in terms of the level of sweetener aftertaste as well as the viscosity.

For example, Cake Batter, which will likely be the most polarizing in terms of its appeal, is the best of the bunch. It’s light in body, has pretty accurate flavoring, and has the lowest amount of sweetener aftertaste. On the other hand, the very thick, indulgent Chocolate Brownie, has a level of sweetness that we found difficult to get past. Finally, Caramel Creme  is much closer to Cake Batter and seems just about where it needs to be in terms of flavor.

In the end, we think that Koia Keto is an innovative, timely, and mostly well-executed line extension for the brand. If they can improve the flavor and dial back the sweetener aftertaste, it can stand as a pretty complete offering.

Plant-based protein smoothie brand Koia’s new Fruit Infusions line is, as the name suggests, infused with real fruit and positioned to more directly target mainstream consumer smoothies.

Launching with three flavors, including Chocolate Banana, Mango Crème and Strawberry Crème, Fruit Infusions are soy and dairy free, low in sugar (6g), and high in protein (18g from hemp, brown rice, and pea proteins). All of this comes on top of a base of almond and coconut milks, with added sugar and monk fruit providing the sweetness. Much like Koia’s flagship line, Fruit Infusions ticks a lot of on-trend boxes and is also non-GMO certified.

While some of the included ingredients, such as monk fruit and pea protein, can sometimes prove challenging in terms of creating a great tasting product, Koia has worked around this nicely. The aftertaste is truly negligible and easy to look past considering the flavor profiles that they’ve created.

For our palates, the star of the show is Mango Crème. Made with alphonso mango puree, the product puts the fresh, sweet flavor of mango on center stage. We suspect that this won’t be the first flavor that consumers pick up, but it is the most impressive of the trio.

Next up is the Chocolate Banana. The combination of chocolate and banana makes for a product that’s rich and indulgent, but still very balanced and smooth. This is probably the most similar to one of their flagship flavors and, thanks to the chocolate, will probably be the best seller.

Finally, there’s Strawberry Crème. This flavor’s pinkish color appeals to the senses and is the most visually interesting of the SKUs. They’ve done a nice job of loading this product up with strawberry flavor, although the “crème” aspect is slightly unclear and might be better served with banana.

From a design perspective, these products continue with the same format of Koia’s other offerings. The branding is eye-catching, especially with the bright colors of these SKUs. It feels modern, healthy, and pretty intuitive, even with everything that they’ve packed into the front panel. And the 12 oz. bottle feels like the perfect format.

In the end, we think that Koia has done a nice job with all three of these flavors. There might be room for some slight refinement, but Fruit Infusions does a superb job of balancing great flavor with nutrition and ingredients that are very much on-trend.

Koia is a plant-based protein drink that is launching in three flavors: Cacao Bean, Vanilla Bean, and Coconut Almond. The product’s key selling points are its protein content (16-19 g per bottle depending on the variety), low sugar content, and non-GMO vegan formulation. It  also has some really sharp looking packaging.

Inside the bottle, the product has a viscous body that is rich and flavorful. The base features almond milk and a proprietary protein blend made from brown rice protein, pea protein, and hemp protein. From there, each of the flavors is sweetened with sugar and monk fruit extract, a zero calorie sweetener. Finally, they add the flavor for each particular SKU.

This is not one of those brands where you end up with really similar tasting offerings between each of the SKUs. However, we do feel as though one of the flavors, Cacao Bean, really stands above the rest. The rich and slightly indulgent flavor of cacao does a really nice job of masking the flavor of the pea protein and monk fruit. Plus, it shows that caco is still the tried and true winner when it comes to ways of flavoring a protein drink. This flavor also has the highest protein content (19g per bottle), which doesn’t hurt either. As for the other two flavors, we feel as though there’s some fine tuning to do. Specifically, the coconut flavoring in the Coconut Almond is too pronounced for our liking and the Vanilla Bean needs help further minimizing the product’s aftertaste. Still, even as it stands right now, all three of these products are quite enjoyable.

Packaging is a 12 oz. plastic bottle, with a clear label that features a well executed two color design. The logo, which features conceptual illustration of a plant leaf, is inviting and approachable. It’s also really appealing to the eye, which should help consumers see it and want to pick it up. Plus, they’ve done a really nice job of cramming in a lot of info without making the product feel cluttered. We really like the white square on the lower portion of the label, which literally boxes the the key copy and draws your attention quickly.