Chobani CEO Says New Plant Should Get Brand Past $1 Billion Mark

"Our aim is to bring more people into the category," Mr. Ulukaya said Wednesday during an interview in New York.
The new plant will also allow Chobani to do more promotions, Mr. Ulukaya said, something it was unable to do in many parts of the country even as more mainstream yogurt brands, like General Mills Inc.'s (GIS) Yoplait and Danone SA's (BN.FR, DANOY), have used more discounts to steer consumers to their Greek yogurts. Other companies, like PepsiCo Inc. (PEP), are also trying to get in on rapid growth Greek yogurt.

Chobani has exploded onto the yogurt scene over the last five years with its thicker, more protein-rich product. With likely close to $1 billion in sales in 2012, Mr. Ulukaya says Chobani controls about 20% of the U.S. yogurt market, and that Greek yogurt could double in size over the next few years.

But Chobani has begun to experience some growing pains. It's triple-digit growth rate has slowed to about 65% this year, according to investment bank Sanford Bernstein, and its market share slipped to 40% of the Greek yogurt category, down from over 50% in 2011. Part of that has been due to capacity constraints, but it's also come as the Dannon and Yoplait brand have fought fiercely to combat share loss they've experienced in recent years.

While Danone has been able to play catch-up lately to become a solid No. 2 player in Greek yogurt with its Dannon Oikos brand, General Mills' inability to find a foothold--it has just a 9.1% share of the market--has caused some investors angst and been a drawback to its share price.

General Mills has poured more money into its yogurt brands, coming out with products like a 100-calorie Yoplait Greek yogurt, and significantly increased promotions. Nearly 50% of General Mills' Greek yogurt was sold using discounts for the four-weeks ended Oct. 12, Bernstein estimates, raising concerns that the gains may not hold.

"We worry that General Mills might just be 'buying' share with aggressive [promotions]," Bernstein analysts wrote in a research report last month. General Mills reports fiscal second-quarter earnings next week.
Mr. Ulukaya said he was not too concerned with rivals, although he hinted that a coming marketing campaign would focus on the quality of Chobani, which doesn't use milk protein concentrate or other thickeners like some other brands. Every pound of Chobani is made from three pound of milk, whereas competitors tends to use two pounds of milk. He said that other brands are gaining share through marketing.

"You could make a bowl of macaroni and cheese and call it Greek yogurt and there's no regulation against that," Mr. Ulukaya said.
Mr. Ulukaya has said Chobani rejected buyout offers from several major food companies in the past, and isn't currently mulling an initial public offering or other transaction anytime soon. "We really don't have an exit strategy," he said.
Chobani generates nearly all its sales in the U.S., with some coming also from Canada, the U.K. and Australia, where it recently launched. The Australia plant will likely be an outpost to expand into Asia, with Singapore a likely early market being eyed, Mr. Ulukaya said.

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