Caffè Nero will sell two protein-enriched iced drinks across its more than 600 UK stores from today, in a partnership with sports nutrition brand MyProtein that marks the operator's most direct play yet for the high-protein consumer on the high street.

The Iced Vanilla Protein Matcha Latte carries 24g of protein; the Iced Vanilla Protein Latte delivers 25g. Both come in under 160 calories, which the brands say places them among the highest-protein beverages available on the UK high street. That protein load, for frame of reference, matches roughly a chicken breast in a coffee cup.

The two drinks are the first products from the new tie-up. Further recipes follow in January, giving operators a template for how a coffee chain can refresh its menu between peak seasons with functional claims rather than flavour alone.

What goes into the drinks?

The recipes stay close to Caffè Nero's existing build:

• The Protein Latte combines the chain's Classico coffee blend with skimmed milk, sugar-free vanilla and MyProtein's signature protein powder
• The Protein Matcha Latte pairs matcha with skimmed milk, sugar-free vanilla and added protein
• Both are hand-crafted by baristas rather than pre-mixed

Hand-crafted preparation matters commercially. It keeps the drinks inside Caffè Nero's existing labour model and theatre, rather than requiring bottled or machine-dispensed SKUs that would sit outside the barista workflow.

Why iced drinks drove the timing

Caffè Nero's own numbers explain the logic. Iced drinks now account for 14.7% of total drinks sales, up from 8.1% five years ago — nearly doubling their share of the mix. Sales of iced drinks rose 52% in the most recent financial year.

A 52% annual lift in any established category is rare. It means the partnership is riding an existing demand curve rather than trying to create one.

Neil Mistry, CEO of THG Nutrition, MyProtein's parent-side leadership, framed the move as a natural migration of protein from specialist to mainstream consumption. He said: "Protein has moved from the gym bag into everyday life, and coffee is the natural next step."

Mistry added that protein lattes have already built a following in the US, while MyProtein customers increasingly add protein powder to their coffee at home. The Caffè Nero deal brings that behaviour into foodservice, where operators can capture margin on a habit consumers have already adopted in their kitchens.

A wider MyProtein push into offline channels

For MyProtein, the collaboration extends a deliberate shift beyond its traditional sports nutrition positioning and pure e-commerce roots. Recent launches include a whey protein milkshake inspired by Krispy Kreme's Original Glazed doughnut, plus Impact Whey Protein products developed through a licensing partnership with Mars Wrigley.

The pattern is consistent: licensed household brands, then a coffee estate. Each step tests whether the protein brand can command shelf and counter space outside its own channels.

What it means for UK operators

For rival coffee chains and foodservice operators, the launch sets a benchmark. A 24-25g protein claim, under 160 calories and a national estate of 600-plus sites makes functional coffee a mainstream high-street category rather than a gym-adjacent niche.

Operators without a protein offer now face a clear gap in their iced range, at exactly the moment iced drinks approach 15% of sales at a leading chain. Suppliers of protein powders, meanwhile, gain a foodservice reference account to pitch against.

Watch January, when the partnership confirms its next recipes. A second wave of SKUs, and any disclosure of sell-through at Caffè Nero's counters, will show whether high-street protein coffee is a durable category or a one-season launch.