Whether or not you caught the release of Nurri a couple months back, Slate sure did.
The Boston-based high-protein chocolate milk and iced coffee startup is suing its co-packer, Horseshoe Beverage Co., for allegedly stealing Slate’s trade secrets to develop their own rival product for launch partner Costco.
Slate was already working with Horseshoe in January, 2024 when the milk brand contracted with the co-manufacturer to produce shakes with 30 grams of protein (above the usual 20 grams) for an unnamed major club retailer. Horseshoe instead intentionally slowed and botched manufacturing for Slate products according to a complaint filed by Slate in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
At one point in the production process, the complaint states, Horseshoe produced samples that were wildly inconsistent across a single batch; despite Slate reformulating, a second run of samples yielded similar results. When Slate moved to a different manufacturer, the issues ceased.
Horseshoe’s alleged motivation, the documents contend, was to share Slate’s trade secrets with sister company Trilliant Food and Nutrition, owners of Victor Allen’s and a major private label supplier for clients like 7-Eleven. Horseshoe used that information – including formulas, supplier relationships, and even the actual idea for the product – to create its own canned ultra-filtered milk product with 30 grams of protein, called Nurri, which debuted exclusively with Costco in October, according to Slate’s complaint.
The co-packer also is accused of manufacturing defective products (damaged cans) for Slate that made it onto shelves; it allegedly disposed of 35% of a July 2024 production run for that reason.
Horseshoe and Trilliant have both denied the charges, countering that the concept for Nurri was born as a direct request from Costco.
“While other protein drinks are often positioned around nutrition and muscle building, Nurri is positioned as more of a lifestyle brand,” a spokesperson for Nurri told BevNET last year. “Our brand is playful and bright, and we want everyone to enjoy a drink that makes it easier for consumers to get their protein intake up.”
The case remains in discovery.