Chobani’s all-natural high-protein yogurt for the masses

From January 2025, Chobani is launching a new range of flavored spoonable and drinking yogurts in what is an increasingly crowded marketplace.

According to Circana, 25% of yogurt launches globally featured a high-protein claim; in North America, such launches comprised 42% of the entire category.

In addition, US consumers see high protein and low sugar as the most important trait in yogurt, the market intelligence company claims.

Chobani isn’t a newcomer to the category – the company already produces a high-protein range for active and performance consumers – but the firm is increasingly seeing opportunities in the mainstream consumer market for such products.

“We know that more than half of US consumers are looking to increase their protein intake and Chobani High Protein directly addresses a consumer demand for the popular macronutrient,” a company spokesperson told us. “Chobani High Protein has the opportunity to fill a gap in the category and offer a product that is delicious, accessible to all lifestyles, and made with only natural ingredients.”

Chobani High Protein yogurt products ‘are meant to broaden the market for high protein, lower sugar offerings while significantly elevating the food for current users of similar high protein products’, the spokesperson added.

The range comprises:

- 6.7oz, 20g protein, yogurt pots in Vanilla, Strawberry Kiwi, Mango, Raspberry Lemon, and Cherry Berry (RRP $1.99); and

- 7fl oz (15g protein), 10fl oz (20g protein) and 14fl oz (30g protein) drinks in various flavors from Strawberries & Cream to Vanilla Ice Cream.

The different levels of protein content caters to different consumer' needs - providing nearly an entire day's worth of protein in a single drink, or more incremental amounts.

Meanwhile, the lactose-free formulation makes the range suitable for consumers with an intolerance; and allows the manufacturer to tap into the growing market for lactose-free products in the US​.

But with the market saturated with flavored high-protein dairy, what’s Chobani’s USP here?

“Current consumers of high protein, low sugar offerings are often compromising naturality,” the company’s spokesperson told us. “With Chobani High Protein, such compromise is no longer needed as we stick to our standards of using only natural ingredients.

“Highly-engaged consumers are becoming increasingly aware of artificiality, and we proudly offer function and real food made from natural ingredients. No sucralose, no aspartame, no preservatives, or artificial colors.

Adapting to shifting consumer behaviors

Chobani’s representative added that the taste, naturality, and customization of the product appeals to a much larger audience, including women and later adopters of high protein products.

A shift in exercise habits is behind this new type of consumer that the food company is targeting.

“Gone are the days of cardio and deprivation as strength training and positive nutrition have gained popularity in recent years. Years ago, high protein diets were reserved for athletes and body builders,” Chobani’s spokesperson said.

“Large swaths of the population now understand that muscle and strength play a critical role in staying active, helping prevent injuries, and maintaining a healthy metabolism.

“We see this as a great new way to look at exercise and food with a much more positive outlook. We have to move more, use our bodies and fuel it with the right nutrients, like protein. Our food fuels this lifestyle and this is what we have been about since day one.”

So how did the company achieve its high-protein formulation?

“In addition to a slightly larger cup/bottle size to deliver higher volumes of complete protein, we also max out our separators to produce the most concentrated yogurt achievable, which helps us reach our high protein goals naturally,” the company’s spokesperson said.

“This authentic straining process for our High Protein Greek Yogurt takes about 3 ½ cups of milk to make one cup of yogurt, as opposed to about three cups in our regular Greek Yogurt – making it a thicker and higher protein offering.”

How much protein do you need per day?

According to research​, the Recommended Dietary Allowance of protein for a healthy adult with minimal physical activity is currently 0.8 g protein per kg body weight (BW) per day.

Dietary intake of 1.0, 1.3, and 1.6g protein per kg BW per day is recommended for individuals with minimal, moderate, and intense physical activity, respectively.

Long-term consumption of protein at 2g/kg BW per day is safe for healthy adults, and the tolerable upper limit is 3.5g/kg BW per day for well-adapted subjects, according to the study.