Probiotic juice: five key strategy lessons from Europe and the US

Case studies in digestive and immune health. Probiotic juice is one of the biggest untapped innovation opportunities in the healthy beverage business, worldwide. The author of this unique report, Julian Mellentin, drawing on case studies from Europe and the US, sets out the five key lessons that are essential reading for anyone who wants succeed in probiotic juice.

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October 2009

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Probiotic juice: five key strategy lessons from Europe and the US

Case studies in digestive and immune health

About this report

Probiotic juice is one of the biggest untapped innovation opportunities in the healthy beverage business, worldwide. The author of this unique report, Julian Mellentin, drawing on case studies from Europe and the US, sets out the five key lessons that are essential reading for anyone who wants succeed in probiotic juice.

The prevailing focus of interest in probiotics for digestive and immune health is dairy and solid foods, yet the biggest untapped opportunity lies in juice drinks.

In Europe it’s already a success story. The ProViva probiotic digestive health drink has become a mass-market success in Sweden, where its per capita sales make it equivalent to a $2.1 billion annual sales brand - as big as Gatorade. The brand has even maintained 8% annual growth during a year of economic recession, despite selling at a 50% premium to regular juices.

Boosted by this success, the company behind ProViva has launched new variants that extend probiotic juice into sports and women’s nutrition as well as a new probiotic juice that’s clinically shown to combat the symptoms of cold and flu.

ProViva’s success has inspired a clutch of embryonic brands in other markets, such as the Good Belly brand in the US. Good Belly’s founder, food entrepreneur Steve Demos, is interviewed about his experience with launching a probiotic juice brand – one that has seen him totally change his strategy, just a year after launch.

Underpinning Mellentin’s concise analysis of the success factors are four case studies – all based on interviews with senior executives at the companies concerned - which include:

supermarket sales data
repeat purchase rates and market penetration
strategies to penetrate the early adopter market and grow from there to the mass-market
which marketing techniques are most effective and why
communications strategies
health claims and label messages
how probiotic products are priced and how some can achieve super-premium prices
taste trends
brand extensions and new segments

This report – the only one of its kind on probiotic juice strategy - is written for anyone trying to develop an effective strategy in the challenging and fast-changing area of probiotics. It provides executives in marketing, technical, innovation and NPD roles with real-world insights that can be applied in any setting.

1. Executive Summary
2. Probiotic juice: five key lessons
1. Summary
2. 2.1 Beverages offer advantages for probiotics
3. 2.2 The “alternative to dairy” opportunity
4. 2.3 Taste – the key competitive advantage
5. 2.4 Five key lessons for successful strategy in probiotic juice
3. ProViva probiotic juice for digestive health
1. Summary
2. 3.1 A rare mass-market success story
3. 3.2 Sales success through commercialising university research
4. 3.3 Pricing, penetration and positioning
5. 3.4 Health claims
6. 3.5 Taste key to success
7. 3.6 Brand extensions
  1. 3.6.1 ProViva Female
  2. 3.6.2 ProViva Active
  3. 3.6.3 ProViva Shot!
8. 3.7 The future for ProViva: growth defies recession
4. GoodBelly: ProViva’s American market extension with an early-adopter focus
1. Summary
2. 4.1 A launch into a recession
3. 4.2 Dairy competition
4. 4.3 Pricing and promotion
5. 4.4 New focus on early adopters
6. 4.5 New products to create new consumption
  1. 4.5.1 BigShot 50
  2. 4.5.2 Targeted single-serve beverages
  3. 4.5.3 Powder-mix stick
7. 4.6 Taste preferences
5. Bravo Friscus: probiotic juice tackles the common cold
1. Summary
2. 5.1 A new brand for “Natural Defence”
3. 5.2 Probiotic science
4. 5.3 ProViva and Friscus are complementary
5. 5.4 Health claims
6. 5.5 Innovation to create a new category
6. Probi: more than your average science company
1. Summary
2. 6.1 Commercialising university science
3. 6.2 Post-op patients inspire ‘oat soup’ remedy
4. 6.2 Post-op patients inspire ‘oat soup’ remedy
5. 6.3 From hospital to supermarket