Bone broth has come a long way since its boom during the paleo, keto and other low-carb diet trends. Today, the savory, nutrient-dense broth is finding its way into unlikely beverages, and even cocktails.
The taste and format innovation surrounding bone broth aligns with surging consumer demand for protein, as shoppers seek products across categories that are packed with the macronutrient, often in convenient formats and, in beverages’ case, RTD options.
For brands like Beck’s Broth, which offers powdered drink mixes, and Marrō, which makes sparkling bone broth beverages, the goal is similar: deliver bone broth’s benefits, like gut and muscle support, in formats consumers want every day. Their approach reflects a broader trend in functional food and beverage innovation, where consumers seek health benefits without sensory sacrifices.
While both brands focus on preserving bone broth’s protein content and masking its savory flavor profile, they are taking distinctly different approaches to format and positioning, which they shared during the Specialty Food Association’s Summer Fancy Food Show in the Startup CPG section in New York City this week.
Beck’s Broth turns bone broth into café-style indulgence
For Canadian brand Beck’s Broth, the breakthrough wasn’t in discovering bone broth’s benefits, it was acknowledging its biggest barrier: taste.
Founder Beckie Prime saw this firsthand while training as a gut health nutritionist during the pandemic, when clients consistently resisted her recommendations to consume bone broth.
“I was always recommending bone broth to my clients, and nobody wanted bone broth, but they all wanted Starbucks,” she said. “So I just decided to make bone broth taste like Starbucks.”
Prime landed on a line of protein powdered beverages, from salted caramel hot chocolate to matcha and coffee, each delivering 15 grams of protein. With a focus on indulgence, masking the savory notes meant stripping the broth down to just bones and water, without traditional aromatics like onion or garlic.
The other formulation trick was to use cacao as a masking ingredient, Prime added.
That formulation strategy allows Beck’s to position itself between trendy café beverages and traditional wellness products.
Along with product innovation, Beck’s heavy emphasis on bold branding and design helped gain early traction among consumers.
“The branding stopped people in their tracks,” she said.
After bootstrapping with personal savings for four years, the company recently raised $500,000 and has expanded to more than 600 retail locations in Canada, including Whole Foods, with early moves into the US market.
Marrō reimagines bone broth as a sparkling beverage
While Beck’s leans into indulgence, Atlanta, Ga.-based Marrō’s approach to bone broth is one of refreshment and a functional alternative to soda and alcohol.
Founder Nick Foreste’s entry point was personal. He began drinking bone broth to support recovery from ultra running, but quickly ran into a practical issue around format.
“The last thing you want to drink after a run or a workout is hot soup,” he said. “Maybe the second last next thing is cold soup.”
Marrō’s solution is a lightly carbonated, fruit-flavored beverage with 12 grams of protein designed to be consumed cold in three flavors: Blueberry Lemonade, Peach Mango and Blackberry Lime. Like Beck’s, the brand relies on flavor engineering to dilute savory notes using “certain citrus profiles” and stevia leaf extract, Foreste said.
The company’s approach to convenience and format aligns with broader industry trends around unlocking new usage occasions. Those occasions range from post-workout recovery to social settings.
Co-founder Ashley Leeper notes that Marrō even fits into the growing sober-curious movement.
“When I go to the bar and my friends are having a vodka soda, I bring a Marrō,” she said. “It’s a way to fit in and not feel like you’re not drinking with everybody – but I know what I’m drinking is good for me.”
Beyond functionality, Marrō is tapping into a larger consumer shift toward natural, minimally processed nutrition.
“We’re not necessarily using something new or over-processing anything,” Leeper said. “We are taking your traditional bone broth … and making it more approachable to people who don’t want to drink hot soup every day.”
Since its 2025 origins, the brand sells through DTC channels, Amazon and roughly 50 natural retail doors, with plans to pursue outside investment as it scales, according to Foreste.
