Chobani has expanded its product offerings by entering the high-growth ready-to-drink coffee category through the acquisition of La Colombe, furthering its evolution into a diversified next generation food & beverage company.
The acquisition was financed using a $550 million term loan, cash on hand, and the exchange of a minority ownership holding in La Colombe held by Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) for Chobani equity. La Colombe currently serves consumers across multiple channels, including retail, cafes, foodservice, and direct-to-consumer.
Chobani Founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya stated, “At a time where the industry has faced challenges to grow sales, Chobani has delivered double-digit, volume-led sales growth, and considerable margin expansion. We have never been stronger or better positioned to chart our next chapter of growth.”
Under Chobani ownership, La Colombe will benefit from the company’s extensive retail execution, marketing, and cold chain capabilities to grow its multi-serve offering. The company also plans to enhance La Colombe’s procurement practices, deliver meaningful cost synergies, and elevate its overall operational performance.
La Colombe is a growing player in the fast-growing $5 billion U.S. RTD coffee category, and its offering will prove highly complementary to Chobani’s core yogurt portfolio and modern foods innovations, including oat milk and creamer.
As part of Chobani, La Colombe will continue to operate as an independent brand, allowing for collaboration and knowledge sharing between the two companies while preserving the unique identity and innovation that La Colombe is known for.
Chobani is a purpose-driven, people-first, food-and-wellness-focused company, and has been since its founding in 2005 by Hamdi Ulukaya, an immigrant to the U.S. The company manufactures yogurt, oat milk, and creamers – Chobani yogurt is America’s No.1 yogurt brand, made with natural ingredients without artificial preservatives.
