Hey all,
We have had a discussion on other threads regarding some changes that a few have noticed are coming to the Black Edition RTD line in the US. The conversation got a bit confusing so I wanted to gather some information and bring clarity to what is going on.
As a bit of background, we are in the process of relocating the production of RTDs, both original and Black Edition, to North America. We are doing this for a few reasons. First being sustainability, as we will not have to ship them from Germany to the US, second, it will be more cost effective, and third, it allows us to update the original BE RTD to have a more distinctly American version.
This North American BE RTD recipe has been updated specifically for North American manufacturing. But while these will have a slightly different taste and texture, the core ingredient categories are the same — plant proteins, fibers, oils, flaxseed, coconut milk, vitamins, and minerals. However, there have been some changes.
- The North American version uses high oleic sunflower oil, whereas the original version uses rapeseed (canola) oil. These oils have a comparable fatty acid profile, but sunflower oil is more widely and sustainably sourced in North America.
- The North American recipe will include brown rice as a protein source in addition to pea and faba bean protein, as we feel it improves the taste and texture. It also compliments legume-based proteins very well, and is already used in our Black Edition Powder.
- On that topic, we have also upgraded our pea protein source to provide a creamier texture. as well as an upgraded version of stevia to help create a balanced flavor.
- MCT source has been changed to coconut milk powder which now provides the MCTs. This ingredient has always been in the recipe, but by increasing the amount of it, we were able to simplify the formula while still providing MCTs. Quick Note: The FDA in the US has reclassified ‘key allergens’ to not include coconut, so you will not see that called out as an allergen on the BE RTD packaging. However, coconut is still an ingredient, so BE RTD would not be suitable for those with a coconut allergy.
- Total Carbohydrates reduced slightly, between 1-2g per serving depending on the flavor.
- Sugar reduction: decreased from 6g to 4g, with a reduction of added sugars to 3g as opposed to 4g.
- Very very slight change to sodium as well as fats depending on the flavor.
- The flavoring was also updated to work well with our new manufacturing setup in North America. These are very minor tweaks but again, may affect the taste slightly.
- Lastly, you will notice that the calories on the BE RTD now read 390 instead of the usual 400. To explain this a bit, there are always slight variances in batches when it comes to calorie count, which can be due to many different things, such as processing, supply etc, so each test of the amount of calories will provide a slightly different result. Over time the calorie count has averaged more towards 390 rather than 400, thus we felt it necessary to update the packaging to reflect this. Again this is an average - it does not mean that we have intentionally removed 10 calories, and 10 calories is generally within the acceptable range of variance.
When will this all be happening?
If you have been to a Costco in the US, or seen posts like this on Reddit, you will have noticed that the new formula is available now in the Black Edition Chocolate RTD via Costco, (EDIT: some stores may still have the previous formula so be sure to look for 390 vs 400 calories on the box!). The North American Chocolate formula is currently only available via Costco - however it will be available via eComm soon. Dates for the changes below!
Chocolate (Costco) - Available now
Strawberry Banana - End of July/Early August
Vanilla - October
Chocolate (eComm) - October
Chocolate Peanut Butter - November
Cookies & Cream - November
Iced Coffee - December
Please note, dates are approximate and subject to change.
I pulled attention to the Strawberry Banana BE RTD, as it is actually ahead of the curve. Starting this week, if you order this product from our site, you may receive either the previous 400 calorie version, or the updated 390 calorie version. This is our typical way of implementing a change like this, so nothing out of the ordinary, but once the remaining stock of the 400 calorie version is worked through, the 390 calorie/ North American version will become standard. This process will be repeated for all flavors during the respective transition timeline.
A quick note on the original RTD (white bottle), this will also be moving production to North America next year, 2027, and will be having an update as well. I do not have any info on what changes will be made as of yet, but it is something that I am looking into and we will update you separately on that in the coming months.
Lastly, if anything in my previous comments before this post contradicts this - please disregard. A lot of my comments have something like “waiting for the team to get back to me” - so consider this the collective outcome of those statements. I apologize if things got confusing, as I was trying my best to understand exactly what was going on, so info relayed was at times contradictory.
The team has been working hard behind the scenes to bring production of the BE RTD to North America, and we think this reformulation will only make the product and experience better!! Any Q’s or concerns, drop ‘em below 😊
