Powerful Yogurt, which was officially launched in March 2013, is the first Greek yogurt product in the US designed specifically for men, its Miami-based manufacturer claims. The company is expecting significant growth in this new yogurt category following “incredible” consumer response.
Founder and CEO of Powerful Yogurt, Carlos Ramirez, told DairyReporter.com that key players in the Greek yogurt market are watching the progress of the newly created category - despite initially overlooking the idea.
“Frankly, before launching the product we talked with a few of the ‘industry giants’ who simply didn’t see the same potential that we did in designing dairy products for men,” said Ramirez. “Only time will tell how other players will react, but we know they’re paying attention.”
“We absolutely expect this market to grow because we are creating the category from the ground up,” he said.
Dairy for men “a real no-man’s land”
Powerful Yogurt, which contains up to 25g of natural protein per pot, is served in a ‘man-sized’ eight ounce cup – 33% larger than a typical Greek yogurt serving. It is formulated to “help men build muscle, burn fat, and improve digestive health.”
The product was developed on the premise that Greek yogurt manufacturers were not attempting to market their products to men, despite proof that men were buying them.
“We knew from our research that 43% of men were eating yogurt and that these men had helped make the category what it is today, but nobody was talking to them in the dairy aisle or trying to catch their interest – the dairy case was really a ‘no-man’s land’,” said Ramirez. “We knew it was a corner of the market with a huge upside potential.”
“…. it was clear that there was lots of room for the male market to grow if we could give them a product that identified with their needs – namely more protein, a larger serving and appealing packaging and marketing,” he said.
Plans to “man-up” men’s nutrition needs
Looking ahead, Powerful Yogurt has plans to expand its reach, and its product offering.
Powerful Yogurt is currently available in six flavours – plain, banana, blueberry acai, strawberry, apple cinnamon, and mango - across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
“Our current focus is expanding to the rest of the US,” said Ramirez.
“Our test market was the New York tri-state area and we are growing as quickly as we can from that home base and working to meet demand from the rest of the country.”
“In the near term we have plans to introduce new flavours and to launch a marketing campaign that will be a big departure from anything that’s been done in dairy previously,” added Ramirez. “Longer term, we have additional products in the work’s that will ‘man-up’ to men’s nutrition and active lifestyle needs.”