Arla Foods Ingredients](https://www.arlafoods.com/arla-foods-ingredients/) will debut three personalized clear shake solutions at SupplySide Global, running October 28–30 at the Las Vegas Convention Center — positioning the ingredient supplier at the center of the fast-growing functional beverage segment.
Clear shakes — protein or functional beverages with a juice-like transparency rather than an opaque, milky appearance — have gained traction across both retail and foodservice channels as consumers seek cleaner-looking, lighter-feeling protein formats. Arla Foods Ingredients, a subsidiary of the Danish dairy cooperative, has built a portfolio around whey protein fractions that enable this visual and textural profile without sacrificing nutritional density.
The Innovation Play
The three new solutions are described as offering "multiple benefits," a formulation framing that aligns with the industry push toward multi-functional products — beverages that can address protein intake, hydration, and gut health in a single SKU. While Arla Foods Ingredients has not released full formulation specs ahead of the show, the clear shake format itself signals the company is targeting the premium convenience and sports nutrition dayparts, where on-the-go consumers increasingly demand transparency — both literal and ingredient-label.
For foodservice operators and contract manufacturers sourcing ingredients for grab-and-go beverage programs, clear protein shakes represent a meaningful opportunity. The format eliminates the dairy-forward flavor profile that limits some protein beverages to specific menu contexts, broadening potential applications from breakfast daypart smoothie bars to post-workout retail sets.
Segment Context
The functional beverage category has been one of the more resilient growth pockets in food and beverage manufacturing, even as broader consumer spending has softened. RTD protein drinks have expanded their footprint beyond specialty fitness retail into convenience stores, club channels, and foodservice self-serve formats — a distribution broadening that raises the stakes for ingredient suppliers competing on solubility, clarity, and flavor neutrality.
Arla Foods Ingredients competes in this space alongside other whey and plant-protein ingredient suppliers, all racing to deliver solutions that meet beverage manufacturers' demand for cleaner labels and more flexible processing windows. Showcasing at SupplySide Global — the industry's primary B2B ingredient trade event — gives the company direct access to the formulators and R&D teams driving next-generation product development.
Operators and buyers evaluating new beverage program ingredients can visit the Arla Foods Ingredients stand during the three-day Las Vegas event for live demonstrations of all three clear shake concepts. For broader coverage of ingredient innovation and its implications for commercial foodservice programs, see our functional beverage channel reporting and protein ingredient supply coverage.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
