Dive Brief:
- Chobani will launch a line of Greek yogurt-based savory dips followed by Greek yogurt-based drinks this summer.
- Greek yogurt has upturned the breakfast foods market, but as sales growth has slowed overall, Chobani is looking to eating occasions beyond breakfast to spur new potential growth.
- Expanding into new categories and embracing savory flavors could help American consumers move beyond their association of Greek yogurt with sweetness and breakfast. Chobani hopes to make Greek yogurt a more ubiquitous food that consumers can eat at all times of day.
Dive Insight:
Though sales have slowed, Greek yogurt hasn't run into the same sales slump that cereal has. It's still taking a cue from cereal makers like Kellogg that have pushed to reposition a traditional breakfast food. Greek yogurt grew fast to become a dominant player in breakfast foods. But now that the number of consumers who will eat Greek yogurt for breakfast already are, manufacturers are innovating to encourage consumers to see the category in a new light.
Consumers consider Greek yogurt to be a healthier ingredient, so having a snack dip could lure health-conscious consumers to choose Chobani's product over other dips. This could pose a challenge and cut into sales of major snack producers like Frito-Lay that make dips.
Chobani has been a dominant player in Greek yogurt since the category first caught consumers' attention, and within a few years, major traditional yogurt producers like General Mills' Yoplait and Dannon's Danone created their own Greek varieties. As Chobani introduced innovations like mix-ins, Yoplait and Danone weren't far behind. If Chobani is making savory Greek yogurt products to buck the breakfast trend, it's likely General Mills and Danone will be making similar announcements soon enough.
Chobani's Greek yogurt beverages also stand to make waves as consumers look for drinks that are functional and can act as a snack or meal replacement. Adding an ingredient like Greek yogurt to a beverage also adds protein, which serves both of those consumer demands.