Danone says goodbye to the coffee-flavored yogurt that drives Americans crazy

BarcelonaThe news fell like a lead weight on millions of Americans. On April 1st, Danone made official the discontinuation of its coffee-flavored yogurt –Dannon Coffee Yogurt, also known by the acronym DYC– in the United States, a product with 85 years of history and wildly loved by a large number of consumers. In a recent article, the Wall Street Journal had even defined it as "the main reason for Americans to get out of bed." Since then, collective madness has taken hold of the most loyal fans, who are filling social media with petitions to demand the return of the product while looking for formulas to recreate it as accurately as possible.

"It was my favorite yogurt, I ate a portion a day at lunchtime or for a snack," declares Arlene Katz in a video call with ARA, a former advertising worker –now retired– residing in Atlanta, in the state of Georgia. From the other side of the Atlantic, she recalls that her mother started buying her the legendary DYC when she was a teenager and that, since then, she had not stopped eating it. "Now I am disappointed, obviously. [...] I miss the product," she acknowledges.

The ingredient list of Dannon Coffee Yogurt consisted of low-fat fermented milk, sugar, natural coffee flavoring, pectin –a plant fiber that provides texture– and some bacteria used to produce dairy derivatives. None of them are prohibited by EU food regulations when making yogurts. Thus, the existence of this item in United States supermarkets –and not in European ones– responded more to a matter of taste. "[In the US] They like much more intense, sweeter flavors, even mixtures," says the professor of economics and business studies at the UOC, Ana Isabel Jiménez, specialized in brand identity. The expert also observes that Europe conceives yogurt as a more "traditional" product, without artificial processing.

The return as a collective mission

Since the fateful news became known, the entire community of lovers of this product has found ways to continue enjoying it, either in its original format or by looking for the substitutes that most closely resemble it. A consumer interviewed by the American press explained that, as soon as he learned of the discontinuation of the famous DYC, he bought as many units as possible to keep them in the freezer. He managed to get 75, and since then he only opens one every now and then to celebrate special occasions.

It is no coincidence that on Facebook there is also a group expressly dedicated to mythologizing, longing for, or sharing experiences related to the product. The forum, christened since 2008 as Danone coffee yogurt fanatics (Dannon coffee yogurt fanatics) and which has more than 500 members, is highly active. Precisely Arlene Katz, well-acquainted with all the virtues of this product, recently shared her formula to reproduce it as faithfully as possible: mix whole Danone yogurt with a packet of stevia and another packet of powdered coffee from the Bustelo brand, known in the United States for its yellow and black packaging and its robust flavor. "I have experimented with different types of coffee, instant coffee brands, and different brands of yogurt," she states. "It tastes quite similar [...], but it is not quite the same. Maybe I will have to adjust my recipes a little."

Like her, hundreds of users discuss which mixtures are the most suitable. Some try it with Greek yogurt, others adjust the sweetness with coffee syrup. The possibilities are endless. The obsession of some lovers of the product has reached such a point that a theater company in Long Island, in New York City, organized a gathering of fans to compete in the attempt to find the recipe that hit the mark with the original. There is also an ongoing petition on the Change.org platform that right now already has more than 1,200 signatures and a clamor that accepts no nuances: to demand that Danone return to marketing the coffee-flavored yogurt.

The company's arguments

The reason why the food company opted for the discontinuation of the DYC responds to a product review strategy to "respond to the evolution of nutritional preferences". Contacted by ARA, the company refers to a LinkedIn post by the group's general manager in North America, Rafael Acevedo, in which he stated the following. "We are pleased to share that we have reimagined the plans for our coffee-flavored yogurt, which will return in a way that will reflect the tastes, flavors, and nutritional benefits that consumers are looking for today in supermarket aisles," said the executive.

On the official Instagram profile of Danone's North American subsidiary, the company has pinned a post in which it encourages consumers to share their opinions. The comments section, as expected, has been filled with people who already remember the product with nostalgia, and some even recall how their late grandparents shared this product with them when they were little at snack time. And once again, a unanimous cry: "Bring back the coffee-flavored yogurt!".

Danone's decision was a cold shower for its fans, who do not lose hope. The philosophy of "listening to the people" that the multinational claims is the lifeline to which consumers cling so that, sooner or later, it will magically appear on supermarket shelves. Despite everything, they fear that the resurgence of the product will bury the original version, the one everyone loved. "Of course I will taste it [the new version] –says Arlene–. But I would have preferred it to have stayed as it was".