Idea Center
Case Study

Muscle Mac Pro

Quality Pasta Company is a known innovator in shelf-stable macaroni & cheese products. Though the macaroni & cheese category is already a crowded space, Quality Pasta saw an opportunity to fill a void in the market by innovating to offer more nutritious and Better-For-You options compared to what existed in the category.

Quality Pasta’s flagship brand Muscle Mac® is a protein fortified macaroni & cheese targeted at consumers who enjoy active lifestyles, and those that seek out better nutrition for themselves and their families.

58% of consumers globally are often or always influenced in their food choices by how well a product is tailored to their needs or personality.1

Better-For-You Mac & Cheese

Deciding to further innovate the original Muscle Mac brand, Quality Pasta developed Muscle Mac® PRO, a great tasting white cheddar macaroni & cheese fortified with BC30 (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086) probiotic and MCT Oil, while still providing 20 grams of protein per serving. Like “Original” Muscle Mac, the Muscle Mac PRO portfolio is also geared toward consumers looking for personalized and Better-For-You benefits in foods and beverages, including women aged 18 – 35, students aged 5 – 18, student-athletes, fitness enthusiasts and vegetarians.

“Probiotics and Protein go hand in hand and this made overwhelming sense as an enhancement to our high protein product line.”
- Paul A. DeStefano, President of Quality Pasta

Product White Space 

“We continuously watch the trends in the food & beverage industry. Probiotics are sought after by consumers and continuing to grow, but in the $1.5 billion macaroni and cheese market, there were zero probiotic offerings,” commented Paul A. DeStefano, President of Quality Pasta. “Muscle Mac PRO was developed to offer more nutrition and superior benefits as we continue to lead in ‘Better-For-You’ macaroni & cheese products.”

 

Formulation Expertise 

Throughout the innovation process, a cross-functional team including members of R&D, sales and executive leadership worked together over nearly a 9-month period to perfect the formulation of Muscle Mac PRO. BC30™ probiotic (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086) was selected as the probiotic of choice for the Muscle Mac PRO portfolio because of its stability in shelf-stable products, neutral taste profile, brand recognition and established reputation. As a spore-forming probiotic, BC30 has the ability to survive the shelf life of a non-refrigerated product like macaroni & cheese.

Muscle Mac PRO

Muscle Mac PRO officially launched in January 2019 and is sold in the United States and Canada. The product is being promoted on social media and supported by specific retailer promotions. According to Quality Pasta Company, initial reception of Muscle Mac PRO in the marketplace has been strong and the company looks forward to additional growth as more consumers try, and love the new product.

 

 

For more information about formulating functional beverages with the benefits of probiotics, download our whitepaper: Nutrition Gets Personal.

Want to include BC30 in your food or beverage product? Contact us.

1 GlobalData, Global Consumer Survey, Q3 2016

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