KFC built its reputation on a secret blend of 11 herbs and spices. Its next growth story may be measured in 11 freshly made drinks. Under Yum! Brands CEO Chris Turner, Kwench shows why specialist partners such as MONIN are essential to making innovation work at scale.
There is a familiar soundtrack to KFC: the crackle of freshly fried chicken, the rustle of a paper bag and the confidence of a recipe known across continents.
Now there is another sound entering the restaurant — ice hitting a cup.
Kwench by KFC signals a shift in how one of the world’s most recognisable restaurant names thinks about relevance, frequency and its next generation of customers. Following a 2025 trial across 38 Manchester restaurants, the freshly made drinks platform is rolling out through the UK during 2026, supported by an investment of approximately £38 million from KFC and its franchise partners.
Its 11-drink range stretches across four categories: Krunch Shakes, Boba Refreshers, Sparkling Lemonades and Iced Coffees. The menu is colourful, playful and deliberately designed to create a reason to visit KFC even when fried chicken is not the immediate craving.
A drink can accompany a meal, but Kwench is being built to become a destination in its own right.
A new occasion for an iconic brand
Chris Turner became CEO of Yum! Brands — KFC’s parent company — in October 2025, after serving as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Franchise Officer. His remit includes the question confronting every heritage brand: how do you protect what customers love while creating what they will want next?
Turner’s answer is rooted in shared execution. On his appointment, he said he was excited to work “in partnership with our franchisees around the world, as we innovate, grow our brands”. That philosophy is visible in Kwench. Innovation at this scale requires the brand owner, franchisees, restaurant teams and specialist suppliers to move as one system.
Competition for younger consumers is no longer confined to burgers, chicken or price. Drinks have become cultural products: photographed, customised and consumed throughout the day as a social treat, coffee occasion or dessert. For a quick-service restaurant, that creates additional traffic and a broader customer relationship.
Turner has put the strategy plainly: “Taco Bell and KFC are leaning into the fast-growing beverage category by introducing highly differentiated offerings.” For KFC, differentiation means moving beyond the predictable fountain drink and creating a platform with enough personality to deepen consumer engagement.
The achievement is not simply adding fashionable flavours. KFC is extending the brand’s vocabulary. The names, textures and presentation feel contemporary, while “Krunch” retains a link to the food and attitude customers already associate with KFC.
“All of our bold ambitions … are made possible by our people and our franchisees.”
MONIN: from supplier to creative partner
Behind the brightly coloured drinks sits the discipline of beverage development. A national menu must do more than impress in a test kitchen. It must remain distinctive, commercially workable and consistently executable during a busy service across hundreds of restaurants.
That is where the relationship with MONIN becomes vital.
MONIN UK & Ireland is “very proud to have co-developed the drinks in collaboration with the KFC team”. That phrase places the relationship beyond a conventional supply agreement and inside the creative process.
During the original Manchester development phase, the collaboration helped bring forward drinks including Spicy Mango Lemonade, Cherry Poppin’ Refresher, iced mocha creations and the indulgent Caramel Krunch Shake. MONIN also acknowledged the work of colleagues across its UK, Ireland and Americas teams, highlighting the international knowledge-sharing required to turn an idea into a repeatable platform.
MONIN contributes more than flavour. Its expertise helps KFC translate fast-moving trends into recipes that can survive a quick-service environment. A drink must feel handcrafted without becoming cumbersome; adventurous without alienating the mainstream; and premium while remaining accessible.
MONIN brings category knowledge, development speed and flavour consistency. KFC brings consumer reach, restaurant insight and the ability to test at meaningful scale. Together, they can learn faster than either organisation could alone.
Oatly’s involvement in oat-based iced coffees broadened the platform during its early development, while franchise partners supplied the local commitment and capital needed to move from pilot to rollout. Restaurant teams complete the chain, turning product theory into experience, cup by cup.
Turner reinforces that point: “All of our bold ambitions … are made possible by our people and our franchisees.” Kwench reaches the customer as a finished drink, but begins with innovators, flavour specialists, operators, investors and frontline teams.
“We’ll continue to learn and refine, but it’s all about battling for that future consumer.”
Partnership as growth infrastructure
Turner’s earlier responsibilities spanned finance, strategy, supply chain and franchise support. That combination suits restaurant innovation, where a creative idea becomes valuable only when the economics, supply network and in-store operation work together.
The strength of Kwench will therefore be measured by more than launch-week attention. Its real test is whether it can generate repeat visits, unlock new dayparts, increase relevance among younger audiences and give franchisees an attractive return on the investment required to deliver it.
Across more than 1,000 KFC restaurants in the UK and Ireland, even a modest increase in beverage-led visits could become a meaningful layer of growth. Kwench also provides a living innovation platform: new flavours, seasonal editions and local adaptations can arrive without rebuilding the proposition from the ground up.
This is the deeper significance of the MONIN relationship and KFC’s wider partner network. Partners are not standing behind the release; they are inside the engine that makes the release possible. They bring specialism to scale, help convert cultural signals into products and provide the operational resilience needed to keep a bold promise consistent.
KFC will always be associated with the bucket. That is an asset, not a limitation. But iconic brands remain iconic by knowing when to protect their traditions and when to create new rituals around them.
With Kwench, the cup is no longer an afterthought beside the meal. It is another reason to walk through the door — and a vivid example of how Turner’s partnership-led vision can help a famous brand remain familiar, while making room for something entirely new.
As Turner recently said of the platform: “We’ll continue to learn and refine, but it’s all about battling for that future consumer.” It captures the discipline behind Kwench: move boldly, listen carefully and never assume the innovation is finished.
From digital loyalty to liquid innovation
Kwench is not KFC’s only attempt to build a deeper relationship with its customers. Its Rewards Arcade replaced the traditional stamp-based loyalty model with a gamified experience, giving customers opportunities to win food through the KFC app. The platform reflects KFC’s willingness to combine its scale and consumer insight with specialist external expertise.
The same partnership philosophy now runs through Kwench. In digital loyalty, technology and creative specialists helped KFC make engagement more entertaining. In beverages, MONIN is helping the brand translate changing consumer tastes into distinctive drinks that can be prepared consistently across a large restaurant network. Both initiatives demonstrate how KFC is using collaboration to create new reasons for customers to engage with the brand.
www.kfc.co.uk/kwench
www.yum.com