Cacaolat

What Cacaolat does

Cacaolat, legally Grupo Cacaolat SL, is a Spanish dairy and beverage manufacturer headquartered in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Barcelona. Founded in 1933 by brothers Marc and Joan Viader, the company created what it claims to be the world's first bottled chocolate milk drink at the Letona milk factory and has preserved the original formulation unchanged for over 90 years. Its core product is the Cacaolat Original chocolate milk, with the brand expanded over time into a portfolio of variants and extensions including Cacaolat 0% (fat-free, 2014), Sin Lactosa, Mocca (2016), Noir (2017), Cookies & Vainilla (2022), a powder format (2023), a coffee-to-go range (2024), and most recently Cacaolat PRO (25g protein) and a plant-based oat-and-cocoa beverage (2025). A Kids sub-line with collectible packaging and a 'Pastelito' pastry extension round out the offering.

The underlying production is a single-site, formula-driven beverage operation that has been deliberately preserved in its original recipe while modernized in packaging and format. Manufacturing is consolidated at the company's Santa Coloma de Gramenet facility, to which it relocated in 2013. The commercial model is consumer FMCG: products are sold through Spanish retail stores for in-home consumption and through the company's own e-commerce storefront for direct purchases; social channels on Instagram and Facebook support top-of-funnel engagement. Two customer segments are explicitly identified — general consumers and athletes/active individuals — with the broader positioning aimed at mass-market, multi-generational households.

Cacaolat is privately held and family-founded with no disclosed parent company or institutional investors. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company has no technology platform, software product, API, or mobile app, and revenue is not reported. Distribution and customer base are concentrated in Spain, with no disclosed geographic expansion outside domestic retail.

Name

Cacaolat

Legal name

Grupo Cacaolat SL

Website

https://cacaolat.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cacaolat is a Spanish dairy and beverage manufacturer that produces and sells bottled chocolate milk and adjacent drinks (protein, plant-based, coffee-to-go, powder) under the 1933-founded Original Cacaolat brand to Spanish retail consumers and active-lifestyle customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Cacaolat manufactures and sells ready-to-drink chocolate milk beverages and related dairy and plant-based drinks under the Cacaolat brand. The flagship product uses a secret formula created in 1933 that has remained unchanged, and the portfolio spans original, fat-free, lactose-free, protein-enriched, coffee-flavored, plant-based, and powder-format variants sold primarily in Spain.

Product overview

Cacaolat is a Spanish dairy and beverage company offering a portfolio of chocolate milk drinks and related products. The core product is the Original chocolate milk beverage created in 1933 with an unchanged secret formula. The product line spans multiple variants including Cacaolat 0% (fat-free), Sin Lactosa (lactose-free), Cacaolat PRO (protein-enriched with 25g protein), and plant-based options like Bebida Vegetal (oat-based). Recent expansions include Cacao en Polvo (powder format launched 2023), Café para llevar (ready-to-drink coffee, 2024), and Pastelito (pastries). The brand also offers products for children (Cacaolat Kids with collectible bottles) and specialty variants like Mocca (coffee-chocolate) and Noir (intense chocolate).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cacaolat Original: Original chocolate milk beverage with unchanged secret formula since 1933
• Cacaolat 0%
• Cacaolat Sin Lactosa
• Cacaolat Kids
• Cacaolat PRO
• Cacaolat Mocca
• Cacaolat Noir
• Cacaolat Bebida Vegetal
• Cacaolat en Polvo
• Cacaolat Cookies & Vainilla
• Café para llevar
• Cacaolat Lovers
• Pastelito

Products and services

• Cacaolat Original Flagship ready-to-drink chocolate milk beverage made with the unchanged 1933 secret formula; can be consumed hot or cold; targeted at general consumers of all ages.
• Cacaolat 0% Fat-free version of the classic Cacaolat chocolate milk drink for calorie-conscious consumers.
• Cacaolat Sin Lactosa Lactose-free chocolate milk variant targeted at consumers with lactose intolerance.
• Cacaolat Kids Chocolate milk product designed for children with collectible bottle designs including marine animal-themed sets.
• Cacaolat PRO Protein-enriched chocolate milk shake with 25g of proteins aimed at fitness and active-lifestyle consumers.
• Cacaolat Mocca Chocolate milk variant blended with coffee notes, positioned as the 'most cool pleasure' option.
• Cacaolat Noir Intensified dark-chocolate-flavored variant marketed as 'the most intense pleasure' chocolate milk.
• Bebida Vegetal (Plant-based Drink) Plant-based oat-and-cocoa beverage offering a dairy-free alternative with the signature Cacaolat taste.
• Cacao en Polvo (Powder Format) Cocoa powder format allowing consumers to prepare the classic Cacaolat chocolate milk beverage at home.
• Café para llevar (Coffee to Go) Ready-to-drink coffee beverages for on-the-go consumption, expanding Cacaolat into adjacent beverage categories.
• Pastelito Pastry or cake product line extending Cacaolat beyond beverages into complementary snack items.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ColaCao: Spanish chocolate-flavored beverage brand (powder and RTD) and Cacaolat's closest domestic rival; both target the same chocolate-with-milk consumption occasion in Spain and compete head-to-head on retail shelf.
• Puleva: Spanish dairy beverage brand owned by Lactalis that markets chocolate milk among its flavored milk lineup; competes with Cacaolat in the same Spanish retail channels on nearly identical SKU formats.

Broad incumbents

• Pascual: Major Spanish dairy group with a broad portfolio of milk, flavored milk, and functional beverages; offers chocolate milk SKUs that overlap with Cacaolat's core category from a much larger distribution base.
• Central Lechera Asturiana: One of Spain's leading dairy brands with nationwide retail penetration; produces flavored and functional dairy beverages that compete for the same Spanish consumer occasions as Cacaolat.
• Nestlé (Nesquik): Global CPG giant whose Nesquik brand is the worldwide benchmark for chocolate milk beverages; competes with Cacaolat on chocolate-flavored dairy across any cross-border expansion and on protein/breakfast occasions.
• Danone: Global dairy and plant-based leader; relevant as a competitor through Alpro (plant-based oat beverage competing with Cacaolat Bebida Vegetal) and through its broader flavored-milk portfolio across European markets.
• Lactalis: World's largest dairy company with extensive Spanish presence (Puleva, Président); represents both a competitive threat and a likely strategic acquirer for branded Spanish dairy assets like Cacaolat.
• The Hershey Company: Global chocolate and chocolate-milk producer whose U.S. Hershey's chocolate milk competes in the same global RTD chocolate milk category Cacaolat leads in Spain, with relevant brand-extension and licensing benchmarks.

Emerging players

• Alpro (Danone): European plant-based beverage leader; competes directly with the newly launched Cacaolat Bebida Vegetal (oat & cocoa) and is the most relevant benchmark for Cacaolat's plant-based growth thesis.

Regional players

• Kaiku: Basque/Spanish regional dairy brand with flavored and functional milk offerings; competes with Cacaolat within northern Spain and serves as a useful regional benchmark for distribution and pricing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Cacaolat-40729646182
• Instagraminstagram.com/cacaolat
• Xx.com/cacaolat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cacaolat