Arla Protein NPD

Arla has extended its Protein range with the launch of a new yoghurt pouch format and its first kale-flavoured yoghurt.

The brand’s Protein Pouches are the first product of their kind to be launched by Arla, and follow similar products launched by The Collective and Yopliat’s Petits Filous in recent years.

The pouches launched into Tesco stores this week in strawberry and mango flavours (rsp: £1.25/200g). Each serving contains 20g of protein, and is designed to be consumed on the move either before or after a workout as a rival to protein powders and shakes.

Joining the pouches is a mango, kale and lime flavoured yoghurt pot, called Protein Greens. The yoghurt contains a kale purée, and is the first in the range to use vegetables as flavouring. It rolled out into Asda and Tesco stores last week (rsp: £1.25/200g).

Arla launched its first combined fruit & veg yoghurt products with its Arla Big Yogs range for children last July, followed by new additions to its Skyr range, with apple, carrot & ginger and rhubarb & beetroot flavours, earlier this year.

“We started looking at this trend a while ago, and have also recently secured further listings of the fruit & veg Skyr variants into Asda,” said brand manager Steph Barker.

The new kale variant is set to appeal to health-conscious consumers who are “keen to try exciting new combinations”, Barker added. “With all of the recent media hype around kale, it’s a natural flavour extension for the range.”

The Arla Protein brand launched in 2015 and is now worth £9.4m. Volume sales grew by 98.4% in the 12 months to March, Arla said.