Beyond Meat Expands Immerse Range with Caffeinated Energy Drinks & New Flavours
Beyond Meat has added Protein + Energy variants to its Beyond Immerse range of sparkling drinks, alongside new flavours to the standard protein beverage lineup.
US plant-based giant Beyond Meat isn’t pushing the brakes on its biggest product launch this year.
The company is foraying into the energy drink category with the launch of two caffeinated protein beverages under the Beyond Immerse label, which was introduced at the start of the year. It’s also adding three new flavours to the original sparkling protein drink lineup.
It means the Nasdaq-listed firm, now also called Beyond the Plant Protein Company, sells 11 different protein drinks, alongside a diversified portfolio that includes protein powders, bars, veggie burgers, and, of course, its core meat alternatives.
The Beyond Immerse expansion comes two months after the range began selling at all Erewhon stores in Los Angeles, adding to its New York listing with Big Geyser, one of the country’s largest non-alcoholic beverage distributors.
Beyond Meat taps into GLP-1-fuelled energy drink boom
Beyond Immerse’s drinks are made from a base of hydrolysed pea protein and soluble tapioca fibre, which are complemented with tartaric acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid, monkfruit extract, sodium citrate, and beta-carotene, with some variants further sweetened with agave.
The Protein + Energy beverages add caffeine from coffee beans and guarana extract to the mix, alongside L-theanine. Each 355ml can has 20g of plant protein, 5g of fibre, and 160mg of caffeine. They’re available in agave-sweetened cherry-berry and watermelon-strawberry flavours exclusively on the company’s e-store.
Energy drinks are on the ascendency in the US. A Morgan Stanley survey this year found that a net 19% of Americans aim to increase their consumption of these products, with 61% driven by a need for more energy. This sentiment is strongest among adults aged 25-44.
Among even younger consumers (aged 16-24), 31% now cite energy drinks as their preferred source of caffeine, up from 21% last year. They have overtaken coffee here, which fell from 40% in 2025 to 27% this year.
This market is further being propelled by the rise in GLP-1 drugs, with people taking Ozempic, Mounjaro and other weight-loss medications drinking 42 energy drinks per month, versus 28.4 across all respondents. GLP-1 users also have a net purchase intent of 55%.
“We believe plants have superpowers, and few are as widely appreciated by consumers as caffeine,” said Beyond founder and CEO Ethan Brown. “As we add energy to the Beyond Immerse portfolio, we are staying true to our approach: great taste and carefully selected, limited ingredients that help consumers thrive.”
Meanwhile, Beyond’s standard protein drink range has been expanded with watermelon-strawberry (available now), yuzu-grapefruit, and limoncello-ginger flavours (both coming soon), all of which are sweetened with agave.
These add to the existing flavours of cherry-berry, peach-mango, and strawberry-lemonade, which are sweetened with either agave or stevia leaf, in combination with monkfruit.
Can protein and energy dig Beyond out of ‘very, very tough’ situation?
Beyond Immerse has undergone several iterations since its launch this year. It began with three flavours that quickly sold out, before adding four more variants, each offered with protein levels of 10g or 20g.
After tweaking formulations and witnessing market performance, Beyond settled on the current lineup of flavours, did away with the 10g protein variant, and added the agave options. It also refreshed its packaging at the behest of Big Geyser ahead of its rollout in the New York metropolitan area this summer.
“We are known for rapid and relentless innovation, and listening closely to consumer feedback is central to that process,” a company spokesperson told Green Queen last month. “In response, we developed this latest version of Beyond Immerse made with organic agave, giving people another way to enjoy the product while maintaining the light, refreshing experience and strong nutritional profile.”
To promote the drinks, Beyond has brought on New York Knicks’ NBA-winning star, Josh Hart, as a brand ambassador. It has also integrated Beyond Immerse into its new Phytosphere portfolio, which includes the Starmatter protein powder, Starcut jerky, and two veggie burgers.
The name has Greek origins, translating to “plant world”. “It represents a world where people can access the extraordinary nutrition of plants to support uncommon strength, health, and resilience,” the spokesperson told Green Queen after the launch. “That idea is captured in a simple promise: Plants have superpowers. We deliver them.”
These products are part of an effort to reinvigorate consumer interest in its brand, which has suffered from six consecutive quarters of revenue decline and a record-low share price that needed an artificial boost just to stay afloat on the stock market. Since the latter move two months ago, Beyond’s share price has fallen by over 46%.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal this week, Brown called the financial struggles “very, very tough” and admitted that the confusion around the brand’s positioning has “denigrated” it. The CEO has previously suggested that it is “just not” the moment for plant-based meat right now, though Beyond has maintained its commitment to its meat alternatives.
“Our expansion into additional protein categories builds on our core competencies in an innovation-first approach, culinary standards, and sustainability principles that define us, and strengthens our ability to meet more consumer needs,” the Beyond representative said last month.