Functional fat

The fatty latte phenomenon continues to gain steam as more consumers are blending butter and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil into coffee. The concoction has been hyped by health and fitness enthusiasts for such benefits as mental clarity and sustained energy, and several brands are hoping to profit from the concept.

MCT oil, derived from coconut oil, palm oil or dairy fat, is featured in several new products at Expo West, including ready-to-drink cold-brew coffee beverages from REBBL, Berkeley, Calif., and Califia Farms, Los Angeles. Wonder Fuel from Whole Nature, La Jolla, Calif., is billed as a “coconut oil MCT superdrink,” in such varieties as original, coffee and mocha.

Know Brainer Foods, Lafayette, Colo., offers a line of portion-controlled coffee creamer sachets with MCT oil, organic grass-fed clarified butter and no added sugar. Flavors include original, vanilla, hazelnut and mocha. The brand was launched by Shari Leidich, who previously co-founded snack company Two Moms in the Raw after adopting a raw diet to manage her multiple sclerosis.

“The more I learn that the food we put in our bodies affects more than just our weight, the more I recognize the need for food to be medicine,” Ms. Leidich said. “For nearly 20 years now, I have been on the front lines researching and innovating food products that are functional.”