Dairy Crest's Frijj Boosted: could a protein drink range be on the way?

Dairy Crest could be set to make a foray into the buoyant protein drink market with its Frijj ­flavoured milk brand.

The dairy processor has applied to register the trademark Frijj Boosted with the Intellectual Property Office, sparking speculation a protein drink could be on the cards.

A spokeswoman for Dairy Crest said there was “nothing coming to the market this year” under the Frijj Boosted brand, but refused to rule out the launch of a protein-enriched dairy drink in the longer term.

Pre-emptive registering of trademarks was “standard practice for brands to allow them to respond to market changes and facilitate brand differentiation and extension,” she added.

“As the UK’s favourite flavoured milk brand, it is only natural that we should further develop our Frijj portfolio to correspond with the ever-changing demands of consumers.”

A recent Dairy Crest category management project - Live Life on the Move - identified the development of a protein-enriched or meal replacement product as one of five potential growth drivers.

The application for Frijj Boosted was lodged on 14 October and follows a recent revamp of Frijj’s branding and packaging.

Frijj is the UK’s dairy drink market leader, with a market share of 23% by volume and value sales of £54.03m [IRI 52 w/e 21 June].