Two Better-for-You Brands Give Breakfast a Facelift

With consumers hungry for low-sugar, protein-rich options — a trend that has recently migrated into cold cereals, of all places — brands are bringing bright ideas to other breakfast staples. Pasture-raised egg brand Handsome Brook Farm is launching egg yogurt under a new brand, Chikaraka, while superfood brand The Osso Good Company is launching nutrient-packed waffles made with bone broth.

An Egg-cellent Boost

Handsome Brook Farm has a freshly-hatched take on yogurt, with plans to launch Chikaraka, an egg-based, dairy-free version of the cultured product, in Sprouts this summer.

Handsome Brook Farm works with over 75 farms in 10 states — and said it is the country’s fastest growing privately-held egg company. But while pasture-raised eggs are a quickly growing segment, and the brand is in 3,500 stores, there’s a world of possibilities utilizing the humble egg, CEO Jordan Czeizler said.

“We’re more excited about innovation outside the egg aisle than in it,” Czeizler explained. “The marketplace is rewarding welfare and sustainability; it’s what we do every day, so we thought what a great opportunity to leverage that input in a more traditional CPG format.”

If it seems like the new product flies in the face of the plant-based innovations that have been multiplying within yogurt of late, Czeizler said it’s because most of those products lack flavor, nutrition and consistency. Additionally, he said he believes that many more consumers are dairy allergy sufferers than vegans: about 30-40% of people have a milk protein intolerance, he noted.

Each yogurt cup contains one whole organic pasture-raised egg, coconut cream, ripe banana, fresh pureed berries and hints of lemon and vanilla — with 10 grams of protein per serving, six grams or less of added sugar, and no starches or stabilizers. Eggs also provide omega-3s, choline, iron and vitamin D. The yogurt line will launch with Original, Lime, Strawberry, Mixed Berry, Lemon and Raspberry offerings, each with an MSRP of $2.49.

Looking ahead, future Chikaraka launches may include single-serve packaged hard-boiled eggs, and there’s further opportunity for more savory applications after yogurt, Czeizler noted.

“Eggs are the foundation for so many things,” he said. “There’s limitless potential for innovation.”

As for launching a sub-brand, Handsome Brook Farm saw it as an “opportunity to explore and express ourselves in a new way,” Czeizler said. Handsome Brook Farm is also debuting a new egg carton design, rolling out this spring. “Handsome” refers to the brand’s care for hens and its ethical business practices, according to a release.

“Because these categories behave differently than the egg aisle [there was] certainly a chance for us to really start with a clean piece of paper — and embody exactly what it is we want to deliver,” Czeizler said.

Please Pass the Bone Broth

Meanwhile, bone broth brand The Osso Good Co. is adding a boost to a breakfast favorite. Its newest launch, Bone Broth Waffles, uses bone broth as a flavorful, protein-packed ingredient for a gluten-free, protein and healthy-fat packed waffle that’s heartier than most frozen waffles, CEO Meredith Cochran said.

Osso Good first sold a waffle made with chicken bone broth at its Los Angeles-based cafe, which opened in December 2018, to offer patrons something to dip into their bone broths and paleo soups. Also made with organic eggs and MCT oil, Cochran said the ingredient deck will likely appeal to parents wanting a more nutritious option for kids.

“Bone broth gives waffles a substance you just don’t realize it needs,” Cochran said. “It’s crispy and fluffy but keeps you full.”

The waffles, sold in four-count boxes with an MSRP of $6.99, will launch in select regions of Whole Foods Market later this year. After selling its broths and soups online, the brand entered 350 stores, including Bristol Farms, Fresh Thyme and Lazy Acres in 2019.

In a different portfolio direction, Osso Good is also offering vegan soups. The brand launched veggie broths in June, but Cochran explained that both current and potential Osso Good consumers wanted the convenience of pre-made soups as well. The new line of pouches includes Super Vegan, Tomato Basil, and Thai Coconut with an MSRP of $7.99 each. Both the waffles and vegan soups are made at Osso Good’s Fresno, California-based 15,000 square-foot production facility.

Awareness for bone broth is only growing, and that’s the main opportunity, Cochran said. The key is to find new ways, such as the waffles, to help consumers understand it. After all, a hot cup of bone broth in the morning may not be for everyone.

“There’s still a huge opportunity for education around bone broth, but we’re also meeting people where they’re at [with] foods already in their daily routines and diets,” she said. “We’ll just continue to innovate in those ways — waffles are just the beginning.”