Protein cereal pricing strategy

Protein cereal is going nowhere, and it’s become both a supermarket shelf and an Instagram breakfast staple. So we thought it would be interesting to explore the protein cereal market as it stands today in the UK and examine how pricing differs between the specialist protein cereal brands and supermarket offerings.

The first thing to note is the different categories that protein cereal falls into. You have the specialist protein cereal brands such as Surreal and Eleat, the brands that sell protein cereal amongst other products in their portfolios, e.g. Lizi's, Bio&Me, MyProtein, and the supermarket own brands, with Tesco, Waitrose, M&S and Waitrose all selling an own-branded protein cereal.

So what's going on?

Let’s start with the specialist protein cereal brands. 

Surreal Cocoa Hoops: RRP £6 per 240g box, 6x40g servings, 14-15g pea and soy protein per serving, cost per serve £1.00

Surreal Granola: RRP £5 per 300g bag, 6x50g servings, 11g protein from hazelnuts and almonds, cost per serve £0.83

ELEAT Chocolate Triumph Cereal: RRP £6.50 per 250g bag, 5x50g servings, 16g soy protein isolate, cost per serve £1.30 

ELEAT High Protein Granola: RRP £7 per 300g bag, 6x50g servings, 15g soy protein, cost per serve £1.17

Next, brands that sell protein granolas as part of a much wider product offering.

Lizi’s High Protein Granola: RRP £4 per 350g bag, 7x50g servings, 13-14g soy protein, cost per serve £0.57

Bio&Me Protein Granola: RRP £3.95 per 360g bag, 7x50g servings, 9g soy protein, cost per serve £0.56

Eat Natural Protein Granola: RRP £4.10 per 400g box, 8x50g servings, 9.2g from pea protein, almonds, chickpeas, cost per serve £0.51

MyProtein Protein Granola: RRP £22.99 per 750g container, 25x30g servings, 11g soy protein, cost per serve £0.92

Finally, the supermarket protein cereals, offering a mix of nostalgic-but-healthy chocolate cereals, granolas, and porridges.

Waitrose High Protein Granola: RRP £2.50 per 400g box, 10x40g servings, 9g soy protein, cost per serve £0.25

Tesco High Protein Granola: RRP £3.40 per 500g bag, 10x50g servings, 12.2g wheat and soy protein, cost per serve £0.34

Marks and Spencer’s High Protein Vegan Chocolate Crunch: RRP £3 per 500g box, 11x45g servings, 10.7g soy protein isolate and wheat protein, cost per serve £0.27

Morrisons Protein Porridge Pot: RRP £0.90 per 70g pot, 1x70g serving, 14g milk protein, cost per serve £0.90

When you look at it this way, a few things become easier to see.

There are clear price gaps between each of the three sub-categories, but with anomalies in each that stray towards the price points of other categories. And while the specialist brands tend to offer higher amounts of protein per serving, the protein per serve difference between the three isn't as stark as the cost differences. There also aren't huge differences in the types of protein being used either, and while granolas are cheaper than the 'chocolate hoop' varieties, it isn't by much. So what's going on?

The truth of the matter is that the specialist protein cereal brands have built their reputations around being premium alternatives to other protein cereals out there through clever marketing, a bold social media presence, and loyal followers. As a result they’ve moved beyond being everyday essentials to become aspirational brands.

And that in itself enough to justify the price tag.

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