The title is surprising, isn’t it? No one would imagine chocolate milk to be for adults. With its appealing-to-kids packaging and high levels of sugar, it’s not for an adult product. Well, Josh Belinsky and Manny Lubin beg to differ. These Northeastern University alumni wanted to make a difference in the mass perception of chocolate milk, and they have done it.
They established their company, Slate, in the year 2018. It carries forward the vision of giving classic beverages a modern touch. It aims to increase the appeal umbrella, particularly amongst people who are in their 20s and 30s. Lubin and Belinsky claim that their lactose-free chocolate milk has low sugar levels. Hence their chocolate milk is healthy, which is definitely saying something.
They both are lactose-intolerant, which deprives them of consuming chocolate milk. Both of them had been drinking this much-loved beverage since their childhood. That didn’t even stop doing so when they grew up. According to research, around 77% of consumers try to avoid sugar in their meals. Not only this, but the consumption of lactose-free milk in the US is increasing day-by-day. These factors had Lubin thinking about creating an alternative. He expressed his idea to Belinsky in 2017, who was already a fan of chocolate milk.
“I loved the idea because I still drank lactose-free chocolate milk all the time. Even after I worked out – it’s almost like a guilty pleasure,” said Belinsky.
As a result, Slate was born. They use a process called ultrafiltration for their milk. The process removes the natural sugar and water present in the milk. It never cuts out the protein which enables the milk to preserve its nutritional value. It actually gets 50% more protein than whole milk.
“Every field needs innovation. We saw an opportunity in a field that we are both passionate about,” says Lubin.
A Kickstarter campaign was launched to collect funding for their chocolate milk production. They got a grant of $10,000 from IDEA, which is a student-run business accelerator at Northeastern. They also have taken help from other students of the University to boost their business. Scout, a design studio, led by the students, is looking over their logo, packaging as well as the website. Another group of students goes on conducting market research for Slate. “They are studying our potential consumers. It will help fill in the blanks in a variety of ways,” Belinsky says.
Pranjali Wakde