Siggi’s to Go Deeper into Yogurt Set with New Launches

While other yogurt brands are looking to adjacent categories to see sales growth, Siggi’s still sees plenty of room for innovation within the set. It’s this strategy that is driving the skyr brand to launch three new products nationwide in January: plant-based skyr, kids’ pouches and nut butter enhanced yogurts.

Acquired by yogurt conglomerate Lactalis in 2018, Siggi’s has been on an innovation tear under new CEO Carlos Altschul. In July, the brand launched multipacks, a lactose-free line, a new 4% coffee skyr made with cold brew, and also relaunched its snack-focused simple sides line.

“As I came in, the challenge was ‘how do we bring the promise of simply healthy ingredients with not a lot of sugar’ and expand that to appeal to more consumers’ needs and opportunities that we were seeing,” Altschul told NOSH “How do we do what Siggi himself did 15 years ago?”

That promise of simple ingredients and low sugar is what held the brand back from releasing a plant-based line sooner, Altschul said. While there were other options that could have come to market sooner, none had the brand’s signature thick texture or nailed the taste profile. The new coconut-based line contains a proprietary blend of pea protein and macadamia nuts, resulting in a yogurt that has 8-9 grams of sugar and 10 grams of protein per 5.3 oz. cup. It’s a macronutrient profile that has three times the protein and 40% less sugar than the leading yogurt alternatives, according to Siggi’s.

The plant-based line will debut in Vanilla Cinnamon, Mixed Berry, Raspberry and Mango flavors, with each cup retailing for between $1.99 to $2.19. The launch is just part of Siggi’s strategy to in the yogurt category.

“Plant-based is just part of us expanding into other segments, it’s part of a broader pipeline of innovation that we’re launching,” Altschul said. “I am very optimistic about the yogurt category. I see it evolving and I see us being part of that evolution that has already started.”That broader pipeline of innovation also includes two new kids’ yogurt pouches, Strawberry Banana and Blueberry. While Siggi’s already offers yogurt in tubes, the pouches will appeal to younger children, Altschul said.

The brand is also launching a line of skyr with sidecars of almond butter, which will retail for $1.69 to $1.99 and aims to offer shoppers a protein-heavy option that can function as a snack.

Snacking has always been a tricky segment for yogurt brands. Although yogurt cups are small and portable, they still are less easy for an on-the-go consumer to eat. Altschul told NOSH that he believes offering a heartier option, with less breakfast-centric flavors, is step one in appealing to consumers looking for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.

Getting the products to market for January was important not only because of retailer reset deadlines, but also because the new year — and its resolutions — brings about a wave of consumer interest in healthy eating, Altschul said. The category typically sees a spike in sales as shoppers look for new, healthy products and try to rebound from holiday gluttony.

Despite the rise of popular diets such as keto, paleo and Whole30 — which sometimes encourage shoppers to eschew dairy — Altschul says Siggi’s will stay the course and is “not guided by trends.”

In order to capture more dayparts, another trend that yogurt brands have explored is the savory side of the taste spectrum — both in terms of flavors or launching products, such as dips, spreads or yogurt-based condiments. Altschul told NOSH that while exploring other parts of the store may be a possibility in the future, for now the brand hopes to achieve the same goals by creating a robust recipe platform that shows how its plain skyr can be integrated into savory dishes.

Although other brands have released similar products to skyr that also emphasize low-sugar, high-protein macros, Altschul said the competition simply encourages the company to push itself even further.

“I think others have noticed our success and are starting to bring similar offerings to market,” he said. “[It] is making that consumer even more receptive and demanding of innovation and demanding of the values that siggis brings across multiple segments.”