The Collective Kefir

Yoghurt brand The Collective is set to launch a range of kefir drinks targeting health and wellbeing-conscious consumers.

Its natural, mango & turmeric and coconut & honey flavoured fermented drinks are due to hit Sainsbury’s chillers later this month (rsp: £2.50/500ml).

The launch responded to the increasing popularity of fermented foods as consumers bought into their associated health benefits, said a spokeswoman for The Collective. It represented a new direction for the brand as its first venture into health-focused products, she added.

The drinks are made with British semi-skimmed milk and cream and are a source of vitamins B2, B12 and calcium. The products also contain 14g of protein per bottle, tapping into consumer demand for high-protein options.

“Our team has carefully selected ingredients and a diverse blend of 13 culture strains to develop three great-tasting and nutritious products,” said The Collective co-founder Amelia Harvey.

“To support the launch of kefir, we will be leading an education campaign to help raise the awareness of the kefir category and will be driving trial with a strong marketing campaign across shopper marketing activity, PR and digital.”

It follows the brand’s launch of a kefir range for the New Zealand market in 2013, with a lineup including blueberry and boysenberry flavours.

The Grocer highlighted Eastern European staple kefir as a food trend to watch in 2018 in January. This year has already seen NPD launches from Bio-tiful Dairy and under the M&S own label.