Lifeway Foods launches creatine-based RTDs for “fitness nutrition category”

US-based kefir maker Lifeway Foods has launched a range of ready-to-drink functional beverages containing protein, creatine and probiotics.

The lactose-free product selection, called Muscle Mates, features 20g of protein and 5g of creatine, combined with Lifeway’s kefir cultures.

In a statement, Lifeway Foods said the product is a “breakthrough in functional beverages… disrupting the fitness nutrition category”. It added the product is “poised to satisfy growing consumer demand for performance-driven, wellness-conscious products”.

Muscle Mates will be supplied to fitness centres, grocery stores and “select retailers” across the US by the end of the year, Just Drinks reports.

The 80-oz drinks have been produced in a range of flavours such as mixed berry, strawberry and banana, and vanilla. Lifeway Foods said it is also developing new flavours and formats.

Julie Smolyansky, the CEO of Lifeway Foods, said in a statement the new range was “an exciting step forward in functional nutrition”.

She added: “Our goal is to bring together the best of performance and wellness by offering support for strength, recovery, focus and gut health in one convenient and great-tasting format.

“We see opportunities to serve a wide range of consumers, from athletes and fitness enthusiasts to those simply looking to support their overall well-being.

“I am particularly eager to highlight creatine’s emerging relevance for women as more are exploring its potential role in energy, performance and healthy aging.”

The products are intended to act as “the perfect choice before a workout, recovering afterward or supporting strength and gut health anytime”, the company said.

Lifeway’s Muscle Mates range marks another expansion in the group’s functional drinks range. In 2024, the business launched a probiotic smoothie with collagen. At the time, the company said the product would be the “first probiotic collagen smoothie with kefir cultures to hit the market”.

The group has been the subject of recent takeover interest. Last month, Danone has signed an NDA with Lifeway to allow the French giant to weigh up whether to make another bid for the business.

Last year, Lifeway turned down two takeover offers from Danone, one of the company’s largest shareholders.

Relations between the two companies since then have been less than smooth, with Danone launching a lawsuit claiming Lifeway breached a shareholder agreement. Lifeway has said Danone’s offers amount to a “hostile takeover”.

Amid the tension between Danone and Lifeway, a long-running family feud has festered at the US firm between chair and CEO Julie Smolyansky, and her mother and brother, Ludmila and Edward Smolyansky, the company’s largest shareholders.

The NDA terms expire on a “standstill expiration date” of 15 September – although it can be extended by a week if the companies are in “good faith discussions”.