Danone and Starbucks enter agreement in US

New speciality yogurt products from Danone – starting with a freshly-formulated ready-to-eat Greek yogurt parfait – are to debut in US Starbucks stores and grocery channels followed by additional regions around the world. This is as part of a strategic agreement to offer jointly created and developed selections of new speciality yogurt products for Starbucks stores. This will advance Danone’s ambition to expand yogurt consumption in the US, while growing Starbucks health and wellness offerings for its customers under the company’s Evolution Fresh brand. The yogurts are set to debut in Spring 2014.

“With a fast-growing but still low penetration of the yogurt category, the US remains a key growth opportunity for Danone,” said Danone chief executive officer Franck Riboud. “The recent success of the Greek segment and our Oikos brand have confirmed the growing appeal of tasty and nutritious yogurts for US consumers and established Dannon’s leadership in the market. We believe this attraction will be further enhanced by our new access to millions of consumers through distribution in Starbucks stores, as well as through the addition of an exciting new brand, Evolution Fresh, inspired by Dannon.”