As concerns about the health effects of sugary soft drinks grow, Coca-Cola is attempting to diversify its products into markets beyond soft drinks. A representative product is milk.
A flagship product related to milk that Coca-Cola launched is Fairlife, introduced in 2012. Initially, Fairlife was established as a joint venture between Coca-Cola and dairy producer Select Milk Producers and produced the product. It gained popularity with its minimal packaging highlighting almond, protein, and pistachio-flavored milk. Consequently, Coca-Cola acquired Fairlife for $980 million in 2020.
This is due to the rising popularity of health and wellness, particularly on social media. Around 2020, Americans reduced their purchases of lactose and sugar-related products even as food prices increased, while doubling their purchases of protein. Thanks to this trend, Fairlife's popularity continued, with sales surpassing $1 billion in 2022.
Among these, Fairlife's protein shake "Core Powder" is popular. The U.S. protein shake market is worth $6 billion, as Americans invest in health foods such as protein-rich milk. Filippo Paolozzi, an analyst at Citibank, noted to CNN on the 17th (local time), "There has been an increase in health-conscious consumers in the U.S., and interest in protein intake has grown over the past few years," adding that "Coca-Cola entered the appropriate category at the right time." CNN evaluated that "Core Powder has become a popular staple in many grocery stores, facing little competition."