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= Slate Milk = Slate Milk is a high protein, lactose free milk and latte brand founded in 2018 by Manny Lubin and Josh Belinsky. All products have 20g of protein and 0g of sugar. Slate Milk uses an ultrafiltration process which removes some of the water and the lactose sugars from their milk and well as concentrating the milk proteins. The two founders have appeared on shark tank and had a successful kickstarter campaign, after which they officially launched in 2019 with 3 flavors. Lubin and Belinsky wanted to create a “healthy chocolate milk they could drink every day .” Slate is currently sold at large retail stores like Publix, Market Basket and Wegmans

Manny Lubin and Josh Belinsky met at Northeastern University and after they graduated they founded Slate Milk. The duo appeared on Shark Tank in 2019 where it did not go well. After the lackluster performance on ABC’s hit entrepreneurial show, Lubin and Belinsky revamped their product and secured funding. They now sell 6 flavors, 3 milks and 3 lattes, and have a wide array of sponsorships and endorsement deals. Slate is also dedicated to sustainability and is partnered with rePurpose, an organization dedicated to sustainability and waste management.

Founders
Manny Lubin and Josh Belinsky founded Slate Milk in June 2018 after Belinsky graduated college. Lubin attended Wellesley High School in Wellesley, MA  where he played football and baseball. Belinsky attended Westwood High School in Westwood, MA. Both Lubin (‘15) and Belinsky (‘17) attended Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, and met there. The two started Slate Milk with the goal of giving “chocolate milk a clean Slate”.

Shark Tank and Reformulation
In 2019, Lubin and Belinsky presented their product in season 11, episode 23 ABC’s hit show Shark Tank. The judges were not impressed by the Slate Chocolate Milk Prototype. At the time, Slate was in the pre-sales stage. The duo asked the Sharks doe $400,000 in exchange for 10% of the company, valuing the company at $4 million before sales had started. The basis for Slate’s valuation came from the duo claiming they had a connection to a food broker who had invested capital in exchange for equity. Mark Cuban said “I do not like that at all!” when he took a sip. The prototype formula Lubin and Belinsky used was abandoned.

Lubin and Belinsky spent a year reformulating the recipe for Slate Chocolate milk before launching the first product. The first product contained 17 grams of protein, 9 grams of added sugar, and 130 calories. The launch formula was sweetened with cane sugar and monk fruit.

Growth
From 2020 to 2021, Slate sales grew by 300%. Late in 2020 Slate secured $1.7 million in seed funding. Lubin and Belinsky secured $3.3 million in funding in 2021, which put total funding for Slate at $6 million at the end of 2021. The 2021 seed funding was led by the CPG Entrepreneurs and Investment Groups. Contributing members are shown below:

In February 2023 Slate secured $10.5 million in Series A funding. Later that year Slate partnered with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In this deal with the UFC Slate branding will be seen on certain pay-per-view events and on UFC Fight Nights. Slate branding was also included on the UFC’s competition show “The Ultimate Fighter” and on all episodes of “Dana White’s Contender Series.”

Flavors

 * Slate started out with only the Classic Chocolate flavor. They added the Dark Chocolate and French Vanilla flavors after. Slate added 3 caffeinated flavors. The caffeinated flavors are all part of the Latte line of products. The 3 latte flavors are Vanilla, Mocha, and Caramel.

Packs

 * The “Core Pack” comes with the Classic Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, and French Vanilla flavors. Slate considers this their “protein-packed Core Variety Pack. Each flavor in this pack comes with 20g of protein and contains no lactose, sugar, and 1g of net carbs. Each can in 11 fluid OZ.
 * The “Power Pack” comes with the Classic Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, and Mocha Latte flavors. Slate considers this their “Variety Pack.”
 * The “Energy Pack” comes with 2 of the 3 caffeinated flavors, Mocha Latte and Vanilla Latte. Each can has 175 mg of caffeine.

Mix

 * The Mix Sticks Starter Kit” comes with a 12-pack of Milk Chocolate mix sticks and a 12-pack of Vanilla Cream mix sticks as well as a free electric mixer. The mix sticks are powdered forms of the protein drink. They are meant to be added to water or milk. They also sell the two 12-packs of flavors individually.

Chocolate

 * Ultrafiltered Skim Milk Blend (Ultrafiltered Milk, Water), Allulose, Natural Flavors, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Salt, Pectin, Tripotassium Citrate, Monk Fruit*, Cellulose Gel, Cellulose Gum, Lactase Enzyme, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3.

Dark Chocolate

 * Ultrafiltered Skim Milk Blend (Ultrafiltered Skim Milk, Water), Allulose, Cocoa (processed with alkali), Cellulose Gel, Sea Salt, Monk Fruit, Cellulose Gum, Lactase Enzyme, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3.

French Vanilla

 * Ultrafiltered Skim Milk Blend (Ultrafiltered Milk, Water), Natural Flavors, Salt, Pectin, Tripotassium Citrate, Monk Fruit*, Stevia Leaf Extract, Cellulose Gel, Cellulose Gum, Lactase Enzyme, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3.

Mocha Latte

 * Ultrafiltered Skim Milk Blend (Ultrafiltered Milk, Water), Brewed Coffee (Coffee, Water), Allulose, Natural Flavors, Cocoa (Processed With Alkali), Dipotassium Phosphate, Pectin, Monk Fruit*, Salt, Cellulose Gel, Natural Caffeine, Cellulose Gum, Lactase Enzyme, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3.

Vanilla Latte

 * Ultrafiltered Skim Milk Blend (Ultrafiltered Milk, Water), Brewed Coffee (Coffee, Water), Natural Flavors, Salt, Pectin, Dipotassium Phosphate, Cellulose Gel, Cellulose Gum, Natural Caffeine, Monk Fruit*, Stevia Leaf Extract, Lactase Enzyme, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3.

Caramel Latte

 * Ultrafiltered Skim Milk Blend (Ultrafiltered Milk, Water), Brewed Coffee (Coffee, Water), Natural Flavors, Salt, Pectin, Dipotassium Phosphate, Cellulose Gel, Cellulose Gum, Natural Caffeine, Monk Fruit*, Stevia Leaf Extract, Lactase Enzyme, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3.

Sustainability Promise
According to the Slate website, their goal is to “make the world, both the planet and its people stronger”. Slate tries to avoid the use of plastic and is partnered with rePurpose Global. Every can of Slate Milk is “100%” recyclable. Slate has gone plastic-neutral, so for every pound of plastic used in production 1 pound of plastic will be removed from the ocean. Slate states they adhere to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 2, 3, and 15.