Danone North America opens on snacking yogurt with ‘drool-worthy’ toppings and increased functionality

REMIX features under Danone’s brands Light + Fit, Oikos, and Too Good & Co., and has been formulated to work equally well as an afternoon treat, a post-workout snack and, well, a midnight snack. “There’s a REMIX ready to go for every snacking occasion, whether you’re grabbing an Oikos REMIX yogurt post-workout, savoring a Too Good & Co. REMIX cup to get you through your mid-afternoon boredom, or satisfying a late-night sweet tooth with Light + Fit REMIX,” said Rafael Acevedo, President, Yogurt at Danone North America. “The mixabilities are endless – so you’ll never get bored.”

Rolled out in the US, the range boasts a total of 9 flavors, three in each brand. Oikos REMIX is Danone’s answer for a post-workout snack; Too Good & Co. REMIX is formulated with casual, mid-afternoon snacking in mind, while Light + Fit REMIX is made for satisfying late-night cravings.

“Current mix-ins include many indulgent options, but REMIX appeals to health-conscious consumers that are looking for great-tasting mix-ins,” Acevedo told us. “Each REMIX product delivers on specific consumer demand segments, providing great taste and game-changing nutrition.

“By launching mix-in products that have lower sugar, high protein or lower calories, we believe we are attracting consumers to the mix-in category and expanding the usage occasions of our brands.”

“Yogurt has predominantly been associated with breakfast in the US,” he added, “but the addition of mix-ins that you can feel good about which also have drool-worthy topping combinations will position this line as a versatile snack for many consumers, throughout the day and evening.”

From high-protein to low sugar

Tailored to suit a variety of health goals and taste preferences, each yogurt comes in a 4.5oz format features patent-pending packaging. “In addition to what is inside the cup, the cup itself is differentiated,” said Acevedo. “The REMIX collection’s design features a patent-pending transparent sidecar, hinge-like design for easier mix-in experience, an ergonomic shape to fit perfectly into your palm and is fully recyclable.”

Nutritionally, Acevedo said the range offers ‘the best of both worlds - knockout taste and standout nutrition’ as there are REMIX yogurts for every occasion. “REMIX products are available in high protein, less fat and lower sugar varieties, but they can also add essential vitamins and minerals to your day [such as] calcium, vitamin D and potassium, depending on the SKU,” he explained.

“It was important to us to retain balance in terms of the REMIX sugar content, overall, while still delivering outstanding taste.”

REMIX has between 4 and 9 grams of added sugar per serving, depending on the SKU. Oikos REMIX has 7-9 grams depending on flavor, Too Good REMIX has 4 grams and Light + Fit REMIX has 5-8 grams depending on flavor.

Learning from consumers

Acevedo told us that Danone North America tested more than 100 ingredients and 50 different topping combinations in order to work out the final 9. Under Oikos, these are Coco Almond Chocolate, featuring coconut nonfat yogurt with honey praline almonds and dark chocolate mix-ins; S'mores, featuring vanilla nonfat yogurt with graham cookies, dark chocolate and toasted marshmallow bark mix-ins; Salted Caramel, featuring salted caramel nonfat yogurt with sea salt praline pretzels, dark chocolate and butter toffee mix-ins.

Too Good & Co.'s flavors are Strawberry Dark Chocolate Almond, with a strawberry base with chia granola, roasted almonds and chocolate mix-ins; Banana Dark Chocolate Honey, featuring a banana base with roasted almonds, chocolate and honey-flavored crisp mix-ins; and Blueberry Almond Oat Crisp, offering a blueberry base with honey praline roasted almonds and cinnamon oat crisp mix-ins.

As for the low-calorie (120kcal or less) brand Light + Fit, the flavors are Strawberry Cheesecake; Key Lime; and Brownie Sundae.

“We learned a lot from consumers throughout the development process,” he explained. “Through a series of focus groups and consumer tastings, we asked for feedback on the size, shape, texture, appearance and crunch of all ingredients.

“Consumers were very positive about certain toppings and combinations. For example, in our workshops, consumers really loved the caramel pearls in the Light + Fit REMIX Strawberry Cheesecake option, which helped us finalize this combination and unique flavor topping.

“We also learned that crunch is very important to our consumers. We worked to hit that perfect balance between smooth and creamy texture and topping crunch for all of our REMIX product combinations.”

As for why the company picked these three brands to launch REMIX into, he said: “We wanted to take the brands our consumers already know and love and innovate to provide options that tie to the emerging occasion of snacking.

“We made REMIX available across three brands our consumers are familiar with, because we set out to deliver a mix-in experience within the existing benefit spaces that each of these brands are known for: high-protein, lower sugar and lower calorie options.”

‘Consumers are snacking more than ever’

A major driver behind the release of REMIX is Americans’ increased snacking consumption. “We understand that consumers are snacking more than ever - 90% of consumers report that they snack 1-3 times, daily,” said Acevedo. “And in fact, more consumers are looking for options with more nutritional value - for example, 45% of consumers are looking for protein in better-for-you snacks.

“Yogurt is such a versatile food with many benefits, and we felt there was real potential to innovate and create something special, specifically in the mix in-category. People today want a snack that works for their taste buds, nutrition needs, and their schedules.”

He concluded: “Our new REMIX products deliver a portable snacking experience unlike anything currently on the market, offering delicious taste and stand-out nutrition for the mix-in category. Our line across Oikos, Light + Fit and Too Good & Co. carry distinct brand-specific benefits, including protein-packed, low-calorie and low-sugar options, respectively.”

REMIX is available now at retailers including Kroger, Albertsons, Wakefern, Hannaford, Stop and Shop, and Meijer. It is coming to Target in April and to Publix in June.