As the market for chia products continues to thrive and expand, Drink Chia announced today that it has secured new deals with natural products distributors UNFI and KeHE, and dramatically increased the size of its footprint in the Northeast, Midwest, and throughout Florida. The company also announced that it has increased the package size for its whole chia seed beverage, moving it into a new 10 oz. bottle.
Launched in March 2012, Drink Chia has steadily acquired new distribution within the natural channel, debuting in the New England market, where the brand is distributed by Hooksett, N.H.-based Blue Coast Beverages. Today, Drink Chia is carried in 18 Whole Foods stores and all Fresh Market locations in Florida, as well as all Wegman’s Food Markets in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts.
With category founder Mamma Chia leading the way, total dollar sales of chia drinks rose by 1,030 percent in combined natural (excluding Whole Foods), conventional grocery, drug, and mass retail channels, in the 52 weeks ending on September 29, 2012, according to data from SPINS, a leading provider of syndicated market research. Moreover, chia was the top ingredient across all products in the natural channel, based on incremental dollar growth over a 12 month period ending on August 4, 2012. Chia products grew by over 356.9 percent in incremental dollar sales during that timeframe, landing ahead of other popular ingredients including kombucha and probiotic supplements.
