Protein Coffee Poised to Gain Momentum, with Dairy Fueling Innovation

 

A shout out to all the new Daily Dose of Dairy subscribers who attended “The Science and Technology of RTD Coffee with Milk” short course at Chapman University this past week. Hope you made it home safe and stay warm! 

Protein coffee was a big part of the conversation and it’s only going to get bigger based on the interest expressed by formulators at the short course. The future of coffee is cold, according to Peter Giuliano, chief research officer at the Specialty Coffee Association. Dairy is the ideal ingredient to add value to cold coffee!

It’s been a little bit more than a week since whole milk dairy became the star of the American diet. OK, that’s an exaggeration; however, we’ve been waiting for this for so long, let’s enjoy it! 

Since the Food Pyramid got inverted, with dairy rising to the top left corner, and whole milk was approved for distribution in school meal programs, the consumer packaged goods industry has started responding, likely with products and marketing messages they had on the back burner. 

This one landed in my (broken) Outlook inbox yesterday late afternoon. (Anyone who has experience with fixing overloaded .pst data files, please reach out if you have any tips. I’m desperate to get my data files to not crash every time I try to open one.)

Laird Superfood, a minimally processed food brand dedicated to fueling active lifestyles with products that support energy, endurance and overall well-being, now is playing in the dairy protein space with new Laird Superfood Protein Coffee with Lion’s Mane Mushroom. It is made with whey protein from dairy. (That’s how the brand describes it. I guess that is to differentiate it from animal-free whey protein produced using precision fermentation.)

The move into dairy marks a new step for the brand and meets consumer demand for clean, dairy-based protein, one of the original superfoods. (Again, the brand’s language. Here’s a former vegan business recognizing that dairy-based protein is “an original superfood.”) 

“Offering all nine essential amino acids, whey is an excellent and complete source of protein for repairing and building lean muscle. The brand’s new Protein Coffee intentionally combines fast-absorbing whey protein for muscle recovery with milk protein for slower digestion, supporting longer-lasting satiety and sustained energy,” according to the press release. 

“Laird Superfood has always been an ingredient-first company, and the introduction of Protein Coffee with dairy creates an opportunity for the brand to serve a broader audience with the same uncompromising standards,” says beach volleyball legend Gabby Reece, co-founder of Laird Superfood with her husband, world-renowned big wave surfer Laird Hamilton. “Laird and I are omnivores and believe in getting protein from a variety of sources, so we’re excited to share a dairy option with our Laird Superfood community.”

Jason Vieth, CEO, adds, “Entering into the dairy market is the natural evolution for our brand. We’re bringing Laird Superfood’s strict nutritional guardrails to the dairy category, which is often filled with additives and processed ingredients, so we can deliver clean, high-quality whey protein to our customers.”

Each serving of Laird Superfood Protein Coffee with Lion’s Mane Mushroom contains 10 grams of high-quality protein (a blend of whey and milk protein concentrate), without soy, gums, seed oils or sunflower lecithin. There’s nothing artificial, according to the company. Lion’s mane functional mushrooms provide added support for cognition and focus.

Protein Coffee is a powder that can either be mixed with cold water and served over ice, or made with hot water. It comes in three flavors--Sweet & Creamy, Vanilla and Unsweetened--in 5.3-ounce bags and has a suggested retail price of $19.99. 

Here’s why dairy protein is a superfood.
According to numerous clinical studies, aging reduces the efficiency of how our bodies use dietary protein. The quantity, quality and meal distribution of protein becomes more important with each passing year. For optimum performance, adults should have at least 30 grams of high-quality protein at each meal and especially the first meal after the nighttime fasting period. High-quality proteins are ones that are high in the branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) leucine, which is specifically associated with lean muscle recovery and development. Leucine fuels the body to repair and replace aging proteins throughout the bodies. 

Of all the protein ingredients available to food and beverage manufacturers, whey protein isolate contains the most leucine: 11%. Milk protein concentrate comes in second at 9.5%, followed by egg protein at 8.8%. 

Currently the easiest way to determine if the protein content of a food or beverage has 30 grams of complete, high-quality protein is to look at the percent Daily Value on the Nutrition Facts label. The Daily Value for protein is determined using the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS), a measurement used to assess the quality of all protein. It is based on the types and amounts of amino acids in the food as well as overall digestibility. The PDCAAS values range from 0.0 to 1.0, where values are truncated to a maximum score of 1.0, which animal proteins—meat, poultry, dairy and eggs—as well as soy protein, all possess. Most plant protein sources have much lower values, averaging around 0.7.
The protein content of an animal-based protein with a PDCAAS of 1.0 translates directly. In other words, a “10 grams of protein serving” on the Nutrition Facts provides 10 grams of protein with a 1.0 PDCAAS. This happens to be 20% of the Daily Value (i.e., the minimum RDA) for protein and enables the product to make an “excellent source of protein” claim.

A vegan alternative product with 10 grams of protein from plants most likely only qualifies for a “good source of protein” claim, as it is not a direct translation of amino acid availability because of the plant proteins’ lower PDCAAS. A “good source” claim must provide at least 10% of the Daily Value. 
It’s important to recognize the Daily Value is based on the RDA, so a minimum number. Most packaged foods do not list Daily Values for protein because PDCAAS have not been determined. It is not a required value.

For label-reading shoppers looking to consume 30 grams of complete protein for optimum performance, the Daily Value would be 60%. This can be challenging to meet, and calorie-wise, not even possible for older consumers.

Custom blends of dairy proteins, with or without plant proteins and functional ingredients--are often the best approach to reaching high levels of protein in a single serving. Dairy proteins, of course, should be one of the dominant ingredients.  Today's blog sponsor--Idaho Milk Products--can assist. 

To peruse recent coffee-milk innovations, link HERE.

Can’t wait to see—and feature as a Daily Dose of Dairy—all the new innovations rolling out this year! 

 

Prioritize Honest Processing in 2026

Happy New Year! Not sure of the cut-off date for offering these well wishes, but as the first blog post of 2026, Happy New Year!

It’s been quite the dramatic start to the year, especially in dairy. I can only wonder what the original Milk Mustache sporters are thinking with this week’s recent addition. Some things you cannot unsee. This one is haunting. 

Nevertheless, dairy is at the top of the Dietary Guidelines and whole milk is back in schools. We cannot stop there. Innovation is paramount to keep dairy relevant, and the Daily Dose of Dairy, brought to you by BerryOnDairy.com is your place for inspiration. 

That brings me to a term I learned this week at the Winter FancyFaire hosted by The Specialty Food Association (SFA) in San Diego. It’s Honest Processing. 

While ultra-processed has become a scarlet letter, food and beverage production processes are not the real issue. After all, processing is necessary. It’s also called cooking, preparing and manufacturing. 

Instead, consumers are rejecting the mystery behind how foods are made. This trend redefines the line, where processing is visible but still has a definite purpose. Think pasteurization to make milk safe and give it shelf life. Think dehydration to make milk and dairy proteins accessible, nutrient-dense ingredients to create powerhouse foods and beverages. Think fermentation to deliver extra gut health benefits through yogurt and other cultured dairy foods. 

These are justifiable processes that need to be communicated to consumers to reduce consumer apprehension and enhance understanding of how their favorite dairy foods are made. Communicate about honest processing in 2026. Be transparent. 

The SFA identified other key trends for 2026, with SenseMaxxing being the “it” trend of the year. SenseMaxxing is an embrace of experiential intensity, where every bite and sip cranks up the volume on sensory saturation. In the current cultural moment, when technology and AI are encroaching on our personal and professional lives, it’s a reminder of our uniquely human senses, senses that are precious, powerful and worth leaning into. SenseMaxxing says goodbye, boring beige and hello, full-on feeling.

Dairy can do all this and more. Read about “Taking Texture to the Next Level” in an article I recently wrote for Food Business News HERE.

Amid the “numbness” of modern life, consumers are demanding friction, brightness and truth, not smooth neutrality. They want experiences that make them feel alive; those that are imperfect, loud and deeply human. If a product doesn’t punch through the noise in terms of taste, texture, aroma or make you feel something visceral, it simply won’t break through in 2026. 

SenseMaxxing is all about sensory saturation so intense that it verifies reality, where consumer appetites really hit their apex. It’s sourness that makes us squint, crunch engineered for maximum acoustic impact, bubbly drinks that wake us up, visuals that prompt a double-take and a multi-sensorial symphony designed to provoke a reaction and affirm the human ability to feel. Think mouth-puckering, freeze-dried citrus fruit inclusions in a side compartment for yogurt or swicy shell coatings on an ice cream bar. 

“We spend 12 hours a day touching smooth, one-dimensional glass,” said Kevin Ryan, founder and CEO of Malachite Strategy and SFA trend partner. “These trends show how much our current culture is craving an element of humanity in a world driven by technology. SenseMaxxing is the consumer’s quiet rebellion against sameness. From texture and flavor to visual brightness, SenseMaxxing will be one of the key ways products and brands differentiate in 2026.”

SFA experts also compiled four additional key trends that will guide the food and beverage industry in the year ahead. They are Rooted Rituals, The Appetite Reset, Shelf-Stable Chic and The Promiscuous Palate. All of them are relevant to dairy. 

Rooted Rituals: In response to the always-on, fast-paced era we live in, we’re seeing the rise of food and beverages that make us feel anchored in something real, meaningful and made with purpose. Ritual means products that invite a slower pace, either in the way they’re consumed or in the way they are produced. Think patience, time, sequence and intention. Think cave-aged cheese, strained Greek yogurt and slow-churned gelato.

Did you miss Monday’s Daily Dose of Dairy? Devin’s Foods introduces Real Living Yogurt. The whole milk yogurt is made with A2 milk using a 36-hour culturing process and claims to deliver “300-times more probiotics.” The product is “not sweet, not sorry.” It’s tart on purpose, according to the company. There are three different varieties—Good Gut, Good Glow and Good Mood—made with varying probiotics to deliver the promise made in the descriptor. They also contain the prebiotic fiber inulin. The product is making its debut in 32-ounce multi-serve containers. 

The Appetite Reset: A revolutionary rewiring between hunger and reward is happening among consumers. As GLP-1s have crossed over from celebrity gossip to a cultural phenomenon, millions are now eating with recalibrated hunger signals, so every bite must earn its place and offer satiation. Add to this consumers’ increasingly personalized wellness habits, which are driving sustained demand for protein, fiber and other functional ingredients. Volume is out, and density is in. Products may include single-serve, protein-packed bites, savory and salty foods over sugar, and structured hydration beverages.

Did you miss Tuesday’s Daily Dose of Dairy? Etelka—named after the Hungarian word for nourishing—was born from the shared craving of two best friends for a healthy snack that felt like home. Nikki Vereczkey and Karolina Vass are longtime friends with deep Hungarian roots and a shared passion for bringing traditional European foods into the modern American kitchen. Together, they created Cottage Cream.

Cottage Cream is a smooth, probiotic-rich dairy product made using an authentic European recipe and technique. One 5.3-ounce single-serve cup contains billions of probiotic cultures and 18 grams of protein. You might recognize it from family recipes or travels as quark, túró, or twaróg. What sets it apart is its rich, buttery flavor, silky smoothness, and low-calorie, low-fat profile. 

Cottage Cream offers a smoother, more indulgent alternative to cottage cheese, without compromising on high-protein nutrition, according to the company. Etelka’s Original Recipe and Hungarian Vanilla flavors will soon be available at select small and large grocers throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan in single-serve (5.3 ounce) and multi-serve (16 ounce) sizes. Following the New York launch, the founders plan to expand nationwide.

The Promiscuous Palate: For years, authenticity implied faithful reproduction. But today, as consumers encounter and embrace ingredients like gochujang, piri-piri or miso, globally sourced products become beloved building blocks of snacks, meals and drinks. Beyond fusion, this trend is about exploration and creativity among consumers in increasingly multi-ethnic households and spaces. 

Did you miss Thursday’s Daily Dose of Dairy? Kessho, an Austin, Texas-based craft chocolate company, is now producing Asian Gelato. Those two words together already make the taste buds tingle. Four varieties of dairy-based gelato debuted at Winter FancyFaire. They are: Black Sesame Buttercup, Ceremonial Matcha, Lychee Rose and Ube. 

Shelf-Stable Chic: Fresh food used to be the ultimate flex, but in 2026 the new status symbol is a curated pantry. This isn’t survivalism. It’s intentional abundance. The pantry is now an expression of both self and social identity, demanding elegance and beauty from the packaging and products that are curated. Think saving the glass jars from premium yogurt and using them to store spices or collectable old fashion milk bottles as vases. 

This year is going to be a fun and wild ride for dairy. Buckle up buttercup! Cheers!