Matsukiyo pushes its protein private label into soup, betting drugstore shelves can carry it
Japan's largest drugstore group is adding two savoury, soup-style flavours to its PERFORMA-X protein line from 10 October, a small bet that functional food can sell as readily as cosmetics across its 3,600-store floor.
Matsukiyococokara, Japan's largest drugstore group, said it will add two soup-style flavours — corn cream and clam chowder — to its PERFORMA-X sports-nutrition private label from 10 October, selling them at 3,218 yen each in roughly 3,600 Matsumotokiyoshi and Cocokara Fine stores nationwide and online, according to a company announcement dated 7 October.
Each 600g pack is designed to be stirred into hot water in a mug rather than shaken, the company said, with the corn cream flavour yielding about 13 servings of 23.6g soy protein and the clam chowder about 28 servings of 13.7g milk-and-soy protein. Matsukiyococokara said the launch targets a protein market it describes as dominated by sweet flavours such as chocolate and vanilla, and comes as the group renames its athlete nutrition line PERFORMA-X and migrates its BCAA powder's anti-doping certification from Informed Choice to Informed Sport — a switch that does not cover the new soup protein.
A 3,218-yen soup is an unusual line for a drugstore chain, but it fits where the group is heading: with more than 3,600 stores across Japan, Matsukiyococokara has the footprint to test whether functional food made for everyday eating can sell from the same floor as its health and beauty ranges, in a protein aisle the company itself says is crowded with sweet flavours.