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Will Jones, the former managing director of FrieslandCampina UK&I, has launched DedCalm, a British functional dairy brand introducing a three-strong lineup of ready-to-drink (RTD) energy shakes.

Rolling out exclusively across Tesco supermarket stores nationwide as part of the retailer's dedicated Tesco Accelerator programme, the product platform enters the market carrying a recommended retail price (RRP) of £2.75 per 330ml bottle. Merchandised within the supermarket's sports nutrition and chilled functional drinks fixtures, each bottle pairs 25 grams of dairy protein with 92 milligrams of natural caffeine sourced from coffee bean extract, alongside nootropic and adaptogenic ingredients.

The commercial debut bridges functional sports nutrition with daytime energy refreshment, positioning dairy as an alternative carrier to conventional taurine- and sugar-heavy carbonated energy drinks.

Ingredients and Flavour Formulation

The liquid specification is engineered to deliver physical satiety alongside cognitive support, combining dairy protein concentrate and skimmed milk with active micronutrients:

Nutritional and Nootropics: Delivers 25g of protein, 92mg of natural caffeine from coffee beans, 488mg of lion's mane mushroom extract, and 102mg of L-theanine derived from green tea extract. The formulation is further fortified with dietary fibre (inulin), vitamin B12 to reduce fatigue, and zinc to support normal cognitive function.

The initial commercial range launches across three classic flavour profiles:

🍫 Chocolate: Blends milk protein concentrate and skimmed milk with chocolate and reduced-fat cocoa powder, balanced by vanilla flavour notes.

☕ Caramel Latte: Combines the functional dairy base with real coffee extract (1.4%) and sweet caramel flavouring to deliver a chilled coffeehouse profile.

🍦 Vanilla: A smooth, dessert-inspired vanilla profile engineered to showcase the functional active matrix with clean dairy sweetness.

By pairing natural caffeine with L-theanine and lion's mane, the formulation is calibrated to provide sustained mental clarity and physical energy while mitigating the abrupt spikes and jitters frequently reported by consumers of traditional synthetic energy beverages.

Tesco Accelerator & Retail

The brand's initial route-to-market is anchored by its selection for the Tesco Accelerator programme, an initiative designed to scale high-potential British food and beverage brands across the supermarket multiple's national estate.

To drive rate of sale and initial consumer trial, the retail rollout is backed by a integrated marketing campaign encompassing national brand communications, targeted product sampling, social-first creator campaigns, and digital advertising.

The introduction of DedCalm highlights ongoing category convergence across the commercial beverage landscape, where the boundaries separating functional sports shakes, iced coffees, and energy drinks continue to dissolve.

While high-protein milk drinks have achieved widespread penetration across UK grocery chillers, product differentiation has historically focused almost entirely on protein gram counts. Incorporating functional nootropics and natural caffeine into an ultra-heat-treated (UHT) milk matrix provides dairy processors and brand owners with an avenue to tap into mid-morning and afternoon snacking dayparts, competing directly against mainstream ready-to-drink cold brews and modern lifestyle energy brands.

DedCalm Protein Energy Drinks in Chocolate, Caramel Latte, and Vanilla are available now across participating Tesco stores nationwide and via Tesco.com at an RRP of £2.75 for a 330ml bottle.