Plant-based functional beverage maker REBBL is expanding its category reach with two new product lines: prebiotic soda REBBL POP and mushroom-boosted REBBL Stacked Coffee.
How does Stacked Coffee fit into REBBL’s portfolio?
Stacked Coffee is available in four varieties: Straight Black, Cafe Mocha, Vanilla Latte and Hazelnut Latte. Each flavor is certified organic, non-GMO and contains L-theanine to support balanced energy and lion’s mane and reishi mushrooms. The three lattes also add oat milk and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) into the mix as well as baker’s yeast beta-glucan to support immunity. The drinks retail for $3.99 per 12 oz. can.
The launch of Stacked Coffee follows this year’s discontinuation of the brand’s Reishi Cold Brew elixir, a coffee SKU that was a part of REBBL’s core beverage line but was cut as a precursor to the new line rollout, chief marketing and innovation officer Bonnie Neulight told BevNET via email.
Citing Mintel data, Neulight noted that growth of RTD coffee last year outpaced ground and whole bean coffee, presenting an opportunity to expand the brand’s target consumer base. Although the term “Stacked” is often associated with the online biohacking community as a way to describe layered regiments of nootropics and other mind-and-body enhancing ingredients such as L-theanine and MCTs (and has been more deliberately applied in the past by brands like Soylent), Neulight said that the association with biohacking isn’t intended.
“We started with an idea to develop a RTD coffee product that not only tasted great, but offered consumers all they wanted in one stop,” Neulight said in the email. “We knew we needed to be different and better to give consumers something more than they could currently get from other products on the shelf. That’s where the term ‘Stacked’ comes from — stacked with benefits. So we started with our best-tasting organic, Fair Trade cold brew coffee and Stacked from there.”
Stacked Coffee does put REBBL into a new competitive set with other functional coffee brands, including Super Coffee and Bulletproof, both of whom market ready-to-drink cold brews containing MCTs. Though Bulletproof’s cold brew line has faced declining sales in recent months (down 64.4% as of June 13, per IRI), Super Coffee’s stature in the market has grown significantly (up 143.8% in the same period) and the company closed a $106M funding round this month, signaling a runway for growth for functional coffee products.
How about REBBL POP?
Available in Root Beer, Mandarin Orange, Blackberry and Ginger Lime flavors, REBBL POP sees the company making a direct entry into the emerging “functional pop” segment of low sugar, digestive-health boosting sodas that also includes prebiotic brands like Olipop, Poppi, Health-Ade Pop and Culture Pop, and probiotic seltzer Huzzah! REBBL’s line is certified organic and contains prebiotics with 5 grams of sugar and 50 calories per 12 oz. can. It will retail for $2.49 per unit.
Though the “pop” space is still emerging, Neulight noted that the better-for-you soda segment grew triple digits last year, per Mintel and brands in the subcategory have experienced swift growth and attention from institutional investors.
Curiously, the launch of REBBL POP marks the third brand in CAVU Venture Partners’ investment portfolio to venture into the category. The firm also has stakes in Poppi (which was brought into CAVU’s fold after firm partner Rohan Oza invested in apple cider vinegar brand Mother Beverage and helped rebrand the company as a soda) and Health-Ade Kombucha, which rebranded its Health-Ade Booch Pop line last month in a play to expand its appeal to kombucha-adverse consumers. On the coffee front, CAVU is also an investor in Bulletproof.
So what does this mean for REBBL overall?
The launch comes on the heels of a rebrand and reformulation for REBBL’s core line, which includes a deeper emphasis on immunity support. In May, the company announced that it had added immunity boosting ingredients to some of its best performing elixir SKUs.
Both lines are currently available online direct-to-consumer and via Amazon, and are in retail in Whole Foods Market stores. Under the leadership of CEO Michele Kessler, REBBL has seen ecommerce sales “skyrocket” in in the past year and speaking to BevNET in June, Kessler highlighted that its investment into a direct-to-consumer platform has allowed more customization options for consumers via build-your-own variety pack options.
Ultimately, POP and Stacked Coffee are intended to broaden REBBL’s appeal and draw in new consumers to the brand while providing its current shoppers with new options.
“The RTD coffee and carbonated beverages categories, both large, growing, and full of product choices, still could gain from what REBBL offers in the way of taste and benefits,” Neulight said. “These two new product lines expand beyond our core offerings to new usage occasions and formats.”