Seasonal flavors are hot across the dairy aisle

Taking a page from Starbucks’ playbook, new seasonal and limited-edition flavors are showing up across the dairy categories. Whether it's fall flavors like pumpkin spice or gingerbread for the holiday season, processors are jumping on this new trend.

Seasonal yogurts

Chobani, New Berlin, N.Y., started its limited batch seasonal line with summer flavors like watermelon. This fall the company released its two new limited-batch flavors in time for the fall/winter season — pumpkin spice and apple cinnamon…read more.

Dannon, White Plains, N.Y., added seasonal options in its Oikos Greek yogurt line with a pumpkin pie flavor on shelves until December, followed by a gingerbread flavor for the holidays, beginning in December into early January. In its Light & Fit Greek line it added a caramel apple pie flavor, available until December.

A flavored milk for every holiday?

Pretty soon there could be a flavored milk for every holiday if milk processors continue to innovate with new ideas.

TruMoo, a brand of Dallas-based Dean Foods launched a limited-edition Halloween-themed milk flavor — Orange Scream. The flavor is inspired by an orange frozen pop with vanilla ice cream. It's available at major retailers nationwide throughout the month of October.

Springfield, Mo.-based Hiland Dairy Foods Co., introduced a new low-fat, chocolate peanut butter-flavored milk this year to coincide with the re-release of its Halloween Egg Nog. Last year, the company added four holiday-inspired flavored milks to its line for the fall/winter season, the flavors were: Chocolate Mint, Pumpkin Spice, Red Velvet and Snickerdoodle…read more about those flavors here. Look for the company to release similar flavors again this holiday season.

Christmas Milk, Frisco, Texas, is an eggnog-flavored milk branded as “The Elves’ Favorite Drink.” It was re-introduced last year with a newly formulated recipe for the 2013 holiday season...read more about Christmas milk here.

Ice cream, gelato seasonal flavors

HP Hood, Lynnfield, Mass., released a pumpkin pie ice cream flavor in October for the holiday season. The seasonal flavor is available until January 2015...read more here.

Minneapolis-based Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto created its newest seasonal flavor, pumpkin pie gelato. The limited-edition frozen dessert is available through the end of the year. The new flavor joins its existing seasonal options: peppermint bark and Old World eggnog, found throughout the holiday season, for a suggested retail price of $4.99-$5.99. Read more about this frozen dairy product here.

Got new dairy products to contribute? Submit it to Dairy Foods here.