Fairlife
Product brand
UnclaimedAn American dairy brand best known for lactose-free, ultra-filtered milk and high-protein dairy beverages.
Last updated October 16, 2026
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Overview
Fairlife is an American dairy brand focused on ultra-filtered milk and nutrition-oriented dairy beverages. The brand was created through a 2012 partnership between Select Milk Producers and The Coca-Cola Company, combining Select Milk Producers’ dairy expertise with Coca-Cola’s consumer marketing and distribution capabilities. Fairlife first appeared in Minnesota in February 2014 and received a nationwide launch through Coca-Cola distribution in February 2015. Coca-Cola subsequently became the brand’s owner. Fairlife’s central proposition is that milk can be processed to provide a more concentrated nutritional profile while retaining the taste and functionality of dairy. Its filtration system separates cream, filters the milk, heat-treats it, homogenizes it, tests it and bottles it. The company describes the process as removing lactose and reducing sugar while retaining or concentrating protein and calcium. Fairlife products are marketed as lactose-free and are made without recombinant bovine somatotropin, commonly known as rBST, although the brand notes that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found no significant difference in milk from treated and untreated cows. The core range includes ultra-filtered milk in whole, reduced-fat and fat-free varieties, together with chocolate and other flavored formats that have varied over time. The brand also sells Core Power protein shakes, which are based on ultra-filtered milk and are positioned for post-workout or active-lifestyle consumption, and Nutrition Plan shakes, introduced in 2019 with a high-protein, low-sugar formulation. Earlier extensions included coffee creamers, Good Moo’d milk and ice cream; these were later discontinued or retired as the business concentrated on higher-performing lines. Fairlife occupies a premium position in the dairy aisle. Its higher protein and lower-sugar claims, lactose-free formulation and emphasis on family-farm sourcing distinguish it from conventional gallon-jug milk, while its price has generally been substantially higher than standard milk. The brand’s strategy reflects broader consumer interest in protein, convenient nutrition and lactose-free products, as well as Coca-Cola’s effort to expand beyond carbonated soft drinks. The brand has achieved substantial retail growth. Reference materials report that Fairlife exceeded $1 billion in annual U.S. retail sales in 2022 and that Coca-Cola’s chief executive described retail value as having grown from approximately $10 million in 2014 to nearly $4 billion in 2024. These figures require careful interpretation because they refer to different measures and periods. Fairlife products are sold through major grocery, warehouse, mass-market and online retailers in the United States and Canada. Fairlife has also faced significant criticism. A 2019 undercover investigation at Fair Oaks Farms documented alleged severe mistreatment of calves and triggered retailer removals, consumer backlash and changes to Fairlife’s animal-welfare oversight. Later investigations raised questions about sourcing relationships and supplier compliance. In 2025, an animal-protection organization released footage concerning two additional suppliers, after which Fairlife said it would stop sourcing from those dairies. A subsequent class-action complaint alleged continued sourcing and deceptive concealment; those allegations are disputed and should not be treated as adjudicated findings. The controversy remains central to the brand’s public reputation and stewardship policies.
History
Fairlife’s roots lie in the relationship between Select Milk Producers, a dairy cooperative, and The Coca-Cola Company. In 2012, the organizations formed fairlife, LLC to develop and commercialize a new kind of milk based on ultra-filtration. The concept sought to address several perceived weaknesses of conventional milk: relatively high lactose and sugar content, limited protein concentration and the difficulty of positioning ordinary dairy as a modern nutrition product. The first U.S. Fairlife production facility opened in Coopersville, Michigan, in 2013. The brand made an initial market appearance in Minnesota in February 2014, allowing the partners to test consumer response, distribution and manufacturing. Coca-Cola then launched Fairlife nationally in February 2015. The national rollout placed the brand in a premium segment of the refrigerated dairy case and gave it access to Coca-Cola’s extensive commercial infrastructure. The product’s distinguishing technology is an ultra-filtration process. In broad terms, milk is separated and filtered before being heat-treated, homogenized, tested and bottled. Fairlife states that the process removes lactose and reduces much of the sugar while increasing the relative concentration of protein and calcium. The resulting milk is sold as lactose-free and is marketed as having 50 percent more protein and 50 percent less sugar than regular milk in certain product comparisons. The formulation enabled Fairlife to present dairy as both a familiar beverage and a functional nutrition product. After the initial milk launch, the brand developed adjacent products. Core Power protein shakes extended the ultra-filtered-milk platform into sports and recovery nutrition, with 26-gram and 42-gram protein formats. In 2019, Fairlife launched Nutrition Plan shakes, offering 30 grams of protein in a low-sugar, calorie-controlled format. The company also experimented with coffee creamers, Good Moo’d milk and ice cream. Coffee creamers were introduced in 2020 and discontinued in 2021; Good Moo’d was retired in 2021; and the ice-cream line, introduced in 2020, was discontinued in 2023. These decisions reflected a move toward the brand’s strongest milk and protein-shake franchises. Manufacturing expanded as demand grew. In 2021, Fairlife opened a facility in Goodyear, Arizona. Coca-Cola announced another planned facility in the Town of Webster, New York, in 2024. Fairlife also owns a dairy facility in Peterborough, Ontario, supporting its presence in Canada. The brand’s growth has been supported by distribution through grocery stores, warehouse clubs, mass retailers, pharmacies and online channels. Fairlife’s commercial model is built on premiumization. Coca-Cola executives have described the brand as a way to charge substantially more than consumers typically pay for conventional milk by offering higher protein, reduced sugar, lactose-free formulation and a differentiated processing story. The positioning has benefited from rising interest in protein, exercise recovery, convenient nutrition and lactose-free dairy. Product reviews have been mixed for some milk varieties, while chocolate milk and Core Power shakes have received favorable evaluations from several food and nutrition publications. The company’s reputation has also been shaped by animal-welfare controversies. In June 2019, Animal Recovery Mission released undercover footage from Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana showing alleged abuse of calves by employees. The allegations produced retailer action, public criticism and scrutiny of Fairlife’s supplier controls. The brand stated that it would stop sourcing from Fair Oaks Farms, although a later 2023 investigation claimed that milk from affiliated dairies reached a Fairlife facility; Fairlife said a single shipment was received and was not used in products. In 2025, further footage concerning Rainbow Valley Dairy and Butterfield Dairy led Fairlife to announce that it would end sourcing from those dairies. A class-action complaint subsequently alleged that sourcing continued and was concealed through nighttime transportation. Those allegations had not been established as final judicial findings in the supplied material. In response to the controversy, Fairlife established an animal-welfare program in late 2019 and reported substantial investment in welfare oversight. The issue remains a continuing responsibility for the brand because its premium claims depend not only on nutritional processing but also on credibility around dairy sourcing, supplier auditing and animal care.
- 2024
New York facility announced
[1]Coca-Cola announces plans for a Fairlife production facility in Webster, New York.
- 2021
Goodyear facility opens
[1]Fairlife expands U.S. manufacturing with a facility in Goodyear, Arizona.
- 2019
Nutrition Plan launches
[1]Fairlife introduces a high-protein, low-sugar nutrition shake.
- 2019
Animal-welfare program established
[1]Following the Fair Oaks Farms controversy, Fairlife establishes an animal-welfare program and increases supplier oversight.
- 2015
National U.S. launch
[1]The Coca-Cola Company launches Fairlife nationally and distributes it throughout the United States.
- 2014
Minnesota test launch
[1]The brand first appears commercially in Minnesota.
- 2013
First U.S. production facility opens
[1]Fairlife opens its first U.S. production facility in Coopersville, Michigan.
- 2012
fairlife, LLC is formed
[1]Select Milk Producers and The Coca-Cola Company establish a partnership to develop and market ultra-filtered milk.
Products and positioning
Premium, lactose-free and protein-forward dairy with a more concentrated nutritional profile than conventional milk.
Milk · 2014
Fairlife Ultra-Filtered Milk
The brand’s core product is refrigerated ultra-filtered milk. The range has included whole, reduced-fat and fat-free milk, as well as flavored formats such as chocolate. Fairlife markets the milk as lactose-free, with increased protein and calcium and reduced sugar relative to conventional milk. It is sold in premium-sized packages and is intended for everyday drinking, cereal, cooking and other uses associated with regular milk.
Protein shakes
Core Power Protein Shakes
Core Power uses ultra-filtered milk as the base for ready-to-drink protein beverages aimed at exercise recovery and active lifestyles. The range includes 26-gram and 42-gram protein formats, with flavors including chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. The products are marketed as providing protein alongside electrolytes in a convenient chilled beverage.
Nutrition shakes · 2019
Fairlife Nutrition Plan
Nutrition Plan is a high-protein nutrition shake introduced in 2019. Its stated formulation provides 30 grams of protein, 2 grams of sugar and 150 calories per serving. The reported core flavors are chocolate and vanilla. The product targets consumers seeking a convenient meal-adjacent or supplemental nutrition drink rather than ordinary fluid milk.
Coffee creamer · 2020
Fairlife Coffee Creamer
Fairlife entered the coffee-creamer category in January 2020 with regular, hazelnut, vanilla and caramel variants. The extension attempted to apply the brand’s dairy and processing credentials to a routine coffee occasion, but the line was discontinued in 2021.
Flavored or specialty milk
Good Moo’d Milk
Good Moo’d was a Fairlife milk line that the company retired in 2021 while concentrating production and shelf space on higher-selling products.
Ice cream · 2020
Fairlife Ice Cream
Fairlife introduced an ice-cream line in July 2020, with flavors including vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream, chocolate peanut butter, double fudge brownie, java chip and mint chip. The range was discontinued in 2023.
Controversies
2025
Supplier animal-welfare allegations involving Rainbow Valley and Butterfield
Animal Recovery Mission released footage from a 2024 investigation alleging cattle beating, electric-shocking, premature calf separation and inadequate care at Rainbow Valley Dairy and Butterfield Dairy. Fairlife said it would no longer source from the dairies. A 2025 class-action complaint later alleged that sourcing continued and was concealed; those allegations remained unresolved in the supplied material.
2023
Alleged continued sourcing from Fair Oaks-affiliated dairies
A later Animal Recovery Mission investigation reported that shipments from Windy Ridge Dairy and Windy Too Dairy, identified as part of Fair Oaks Farms, reached a Fairlife tank in Michigan. Fairlife said only one shipment was delivered and that it was not used in products.
2019
Fair Oaks Farms animal-abuse investigation
Animal Recovery Mission released undercover footage alleging that employees at Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana abused calves through hitting, kicking, pushing and other acts of mistreatment. The investigation also challenged claims about the destination of male calves. Retailers including Jewel-Osco announced removals or suspensions of Fairlife products, while Fairlife faced pressure to improve sourcing controls. Some details and competing claims about the investigation were disputed by involved parties.
Marketing campaigns
- 2014Pin-up milk advertising campaign
United States
Fairlife used advertising imagery featuring women covered in milk and promoted claims about increased protein and calcium in test markets including Minneapolis and Denver. Critics argued that the campaign sexualized women and used objectification to sell an unrelated food product. The campaign generated negative commentary from media critics and social-media users and became an early reputational controversy for the brand.
Outcome. The campaign generated negative commentary from media critics and social-media users and became an early reputational controversy for the brand.
Brand decisions
2024
Expand manufacturing capacity in New YorkStrategyBackground
Continued demand required additional production capacity in the United States.
Action taken
The Coca-Cola Company announced plans to build a Fairlife facility in Webster, New York.
Aftermath
The project represented a further investment in domestic manufacturing, although the supplied material does not provide an opening date or project cost.
2023
Discontinue ice creamOtherBackground
Fairlife had tested an ice-cream extension beginning in 2020 but later focused on its principal dairy and nutrition formats.
Action taken
The ice-cream line was discontinued in 2023.
Aftermath
The decision further narrowed the portfolio toward milk and protein beverages.
2021
Retire lower-priority product extensionsStrategyBackground
Fairlife reviewed its assortment after introducing several products outside its core milk and protein-shake businesses.
Action taken
The company discontinued coffee creamers and retired Good Moo’d milk while emphasizing top-selling products.
Aftermath
The portfolio became more concentrated around ultra-filtered milk, Core Power and Nutrition Plan.
2019
Launch Nutrition Plan shakesProduct launchBackground
Fairlife sought to extend its ultra-filtered dairy platform beyond fluid milk into convenient, high-protein nutrition.
Action taken
The company introduced Nutrition Plan with a reported 30 grams of protein, 2 grams of sugar and 150 calories per serving.
Aftermath
Nutrition Plan became one of the brand’s continuing nutrition-oriented product lines.
Recent events
Reported
fairlife partners with United Dairymen of Arizona to buy milk[2]
fairlife partnered with United Dairymen of Arizona to buy milk from dairy farmers in the West Valley.
Reported
fairlife opens Arizona manufacturing facility[2]
fairlife opened a 300,000-square-foot production and distribution facility in Goodyear, Arizona.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Coca-Cola completes full acquisition of Fairlife[3]
Coca-Cola acquired the remaining shares of dairy beverage producer Fairlife, making it wholly owned. Fairlife will continue to operate as an independent company.
Sources3 sources
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