Explosive Trademark Clash Erupts as Danone Sues Chobani over Coffee Branding
July 30 - 2025
Coffee Geography Magazine
In a dramatic escalation of corporate rivalry, French food titan Danone has launched a federal trademark lawsuit against U.S. competitor Chobani, accusing it allegedly copying the distinctive branding of Danone’s SToK cold brew coffee line. Filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, the explosive complaint alleges Chobani deliberately mimicked Danone’s "Bright & Mellow" slogan and signature yellow-and-black packaging following its $900 million acquisition of La Colombe Coffee Roasters last December.
Danone asserts it pioneered this branding strategy in January 2021 as a deliberate market differentiator. While giants like Starbucks and the then-independent La Colombe emphasized technical aspects like roast levels and bean origins, Danone’s "Bright & Mellow" messaging carved a unique niche in the crowded ready-to-drink coffee segment. The lawsuit claims Chobani executed a "knowing, calculated, and systematic" imitation after absorbing La Colombe—swapping that brand’s original "Bright & Flavorful" tagline for Danone’s "Bright & Mellow," changing roast descriptions from "medium" to "light," and adopting nearly identical yellow-and-black packaging.
This abrupt pivot, Danone argues, creates inevitable confusion for "hurried shoppers scanning shelves" at major retailers like Kroger, Target, and Walmart. The complaint warns the mimicry threatens "severe and irreparable harm" to Danone’s carefully cultivated goodwill over four and a half years.
The lawsuit marks at least the third legal clash between these New York-based rivals in a decade—Danone’s U.S. unit operates from White Plains while Chobani is headquartered in Norwich—highlighting their fiercely contested battle for market share. Beyond demanding immediate cessation of the contested branding, Danone seeks lost profits and triple damages, framing the dispute as a textbook case of predatory competition in the cutthroat ready-to-drink coffee arena where visual identity often dictates consumer choices.
Chobani has yet to publicly respond to the allegations detailed in Danone US LLC et al v Chobani LLC (Case No. 25-06217).