Dive Summary:
- Chobani Inc. plans to roll out 14 new items--including blended yogurts in coconut, key lime and orange vanilla flavors--in a bid to attract the same mainstream consumer as General Mills Inc.'s Yoplait.
- The rollout is part of the bi-annual yogurt shelf reset in supermarkets and other retailers, a critical period in which the $6.1 billion category's top yogurt producers introduce new products and attempt to secure more shelf space.
- The increasing popularity of Greek yogurt forced the category's major players to adjust, with General Mills giving up its lead to Dannon, and Chobani expects its new blended options to help push its $1 billion-plus sales further into the lead in the Greek yogurt segment.
(Image credits: PR Newswire)
From the article:
... Most of Chobani's individual yogurt cups have fruit on the bottom, so its move into more blended products is a way to attract new customers, John Heath, Chobani's head of innovation, said in a recent interview. Between Yoplait's core cups, Dannon's Light & Fit and others, U.S. yogurt has been largely blended over the past decade and Chobani's selection was short on those options.
"The way we see some of these innovations is allowing more people to participate in a really great product," Mr. Heath said.
Chobani's three new blends adds to three others -- vanilla, honey and lemon -- that it already has, which could help it win customers that allow it to nibble away share from competitors. ...