For more than 25 years GlenOaks Farms, Laguna Beach, Calif., has been making drinkable yogurt in 32-ounce family-size bottles for mainstream retailers nationwide. In April, the company introduced a line of products specifically designed for health food stores. The new product, GlenOaks Pro-Health, comes in 24-ounce bottles in four flavors: Blueberry Pomegranate, Peach, Strawberry and Vanilla. The Pro-Health line is enriched with probiotics, prebiotic fiber, calcium, vitamin C, green tea extract and omega-3 fatty acids.



DCI Cheese Co., Richfield, Wis., reintroduces Liederkranz (LEE-duhr-krahntz), an American-made, surface-ripened snack cheese with a distinctly strong aroma and unique, full-bodied flavor. This time-tested favorite of cheese connoisseurs has been out of production since 1985. After a 25-year hiatus, the cheese is returning to the market in response to a dedicated fan base. Liederkranz became available for purchase in specialty stores in the Midwest starting in mid-March.

Liederkranz is an American replication of Germany’s limburger cheese, made subtly different by the use of a distinct bacterial culture for ripening. The cow’s milk cheese has the same texture and unique aroma, but features a distinctively robust and buttery flavor. It is made in a small, rectangular shape and has a moist, edible, golden yellow crust with a pale ivory interior and a heavy, honey-like consistency. It is particularly well complemented by dark bread and dark beer and can be used as an appetizer, on salads or sandwiches, or with fruits. As the cheese matures, the crust turns golden brown and the cheese a deeper color. Both flavor and aroma become much stronger.



Simply...Go-Gurt from General Mills Inc., Minneapolis, is made with the simple ingredients moms look for and is free of artificial colors, flavors and sweeteners. It is filled with the goodness of 100% Yoplait yogurt made with low-fat milk containing both calcium and vitamin D. These convenient portable yogurt tubes are a good-for-you, low-fat yogurt snack that moms can feel good about giving to their kids. Simply...Go-Gurt comes in two kid-friendly flavors: Strawberry and Mixed Berry. Each package contains eight tubes and has a suggested retail price of $2.89.  

New Kemps Frozen Yogurt Parfaits from Kemps LLC, St. Paul, Minn., a company of HP Hood, Lynne, Mass., are single-serve cups of frozen low-fat yogurt and fruit or other toppings. Varieties are Mango Peach (peach mango-flavored yogurt with peaches on top), Pomegranate Blueberry (pomegranate blueberry-flavored yogurt with blueberries on top), Strawberry with Granola (strawberry-flavored yogurt with granola on top), Strawberries ‘n Cream (strawberry-flavored yogurt with strawberries on top, Trail Mix (vanilla-flavored yogurt with a granola, nut and chocolate chip topping), Vanilla with Granola (vanilla-flavored yogurt with granola on top), White Chocolate Raspberry (raspberry-flavored yogurt with white chocolate-flavored chips), Wild Blueberry (blueberry-flavored yogurt with blueberries on top) and Wildberry (vanilla-flavored yogurt with strawberries, blueberries and blackberries.) All of the parfaits contain live and active cultures. Calorie contents are as low as 150 for the Pomegranate Blueberry and Wild Blueberry varieties and as high as 240 for Strawberries with  Granola.



Producers Dairy, Fresno, Calif., uses a special culture obtained from Eastern Europe to makes its new Bulgarian Buttermilk. This whole milk buttermilk is extra thick and rich; it contains 170 calories and 8 grams of fat per half-cup serving. 



Dairy Foodsoffers Dairy Product Innovations (www.dairyfoods.com/dpi), an e-newsletter focused on new dairy products and new products and services from dairy industry suppliers. Subscribers receive Dairy Product Innovations monthly with the occasional special installation or themed issue focusing on specific niches like artisan cheese or organic and natural foods. To subscribe, visit www.dairyfoods.com.

Noteworthy Introductions

Dairy Farmers of America Inc., Kansas City, Mo., adds two new varieties - Chipotle Cheddar and Hickory Smoked Swiss - to its popular Borden Singles Sensations line of process cheese slices. The company says that the new varieties will help redefine American staples like grilled cheese sandwiches and cheeseburgers.

Twisted Cactus Sherbet, which is a blend of prickly pear, blood orange and marula fruit flavors, is made by Weis Markets Inc., Sunbury, Pa. In the market for little more than a year, the sherbet was named the 2010 favorite new ice cream flavor in March by attendees of the IDFA Ice Cream Technology Conference.

International

Sometimes the most interesting products are just plain strange. That’s certainly the case with this yogurt from Ehrmann in Germany. Have a craving for buttery popcorn? There’s no need to visit the local movie theatre; just swing by the supermarket dairy case and pick up a carton of popcorn-flavored yogurt. In the mood for a slightly more nutritious but just as unusual treat? Ehrmann’s corn-flavored yogurt might just fit the bill. Although these variants don’t really reflect broader flavor trends, they do underscore that flavor innovation is one of the easiest ways to differentiate dairy products. Consumers may be more attracted by the “weird quotient” than by genuine interest, but these kinds of flavors may certainly motivate trial. And if they taste good, then they may even have the potential to attract altogether new, and highly adventurous, consumers.

Even basic supermarkets now include a specialty cheese case, but some consumers might still struggle to incorporate less familiar cheeses into their eating routines. In particular, cheeses like brie, which have an edible (but potentially intimidating) rind, may be viewed as foreign and inaccessible to many shoppers. To find a broader audience, the solution can be as easy as changing the format. That’s the approach that Fromageries Perreault took with its Coeur de Lion brie in the Czech Republic. Instead of packaging this soft French cheese in a traditional wheel, the company made it available in sandwich slices. Czech shoppers can now buy their brie in a resealable pack with seven slices. The cheese still retains its high quality and strong associations with French culinary tradition, but its new modern format may entice a new generation of cheese eaters. 

Contributed by Krista Faron, senior analyst, Mintel Custom Solutions,  Global New Products Database (GNPD). For more information call 312/932-0400 or visit www.gnpd.com.

Focus on tea

New Leaf Brands Inc., Orangeburg, N.Y., recently introduced a line of lemonades, expanding and diversifying its well-established, popular category of ready-to-drink (RTD) iced teas. The lemonades come in three flavors: Homemade, Black Cherry and Strawberry. Additionally, “The Tiger,” half-iced tea/half lemonade debuted as part of the lemonade line-up. New Leaf’s 100% natural lemonades are made with pure organic cane juice and contain 10% real fruit juice.



Honest Tea, Bethesda, Md., has also added a similar product, appropriately calling it Half & Half. The company uses organic black tea from India and blends it with lightly sweetened lemonade for a perfect balance between sweet and tart. “We’ve been working a long time to find the right balance between tea and juice, and based on the strong response to our new Half & Half, I think we’ve honestly found it,” says Seth Goldman, president and TeaEO of Honest Tea.

Building on the positive reaction to the company’s launch earlier this year of its first three Honest Kombucha varieties, two more - Maqui Berry Grapefruit and Apple Jasmine - are hitting shelves this month. Honest Kombucha is a lightly sparkling, fermented tea beverage combining organic, Fair Trade Certified tea; raw, live, probiotic cultures; and a touch of organic cane sugar. The maqui berry grapefruit blend introduces a new fruit to American palates - the maqui berry - a dark, high-antioxidant fruit from the Patagonia region of South America. This superfruit has the highest level antioxidant rating of any fruit at 945 on the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale, which is three times the rating of acaí. The maqui berry is also featured in Honest Tea’s new Maqui Berry Mate, which is brewed with organic unsmoked yerba mate and lightly sweetened with organic cane sugar for a smooth, clean finish.

Drawing upon more than 40 years of tea expertise and commitment to innovation, Celestial Seasonings, a brand of The Hain Celestial Group Inc., Melville, N.Y., recently introduced a line of organic Kombucha naturally enhanced with functional ingredients to provide specific wellness benefits.

The Meyer Lemon Ginger variety contains prebiotics and ginger to support digestive health and meyer lemon for a sweet-tart taste. The Superfruit variety contains vitamin C to support immunity and well-being and acaí, goji and pomegranate for a rich flavor. Berry Guava contains green tea extract and B-vitamins to support healthy metabolism and huckleberry, blueberry and guava for tangy sweetness. Pomelo Citrus contains B-vitamins and ginseng to maintain healthy energy levels and pomelo for a unique citrus taste. The fifth variety, Tropical Blend, contains spirulina for concentrated green food nutrients and mango and other flavors for a temptingly tropical taste.

Responding to consumer desire for naturally sweetened beverages without the calories, Tazo, a brand of Starbucks Corp., Seattle, introduces a line of stevia-sweetened zero-calorie iced teas. The teas come in three consumer favorite Tazo blends: Passion (tart hibiscus, lemongrass and rose hips), Refresh (Pacific Northwest peppermint leaves, piercing spearmint and a pinch of tarragon) and Zen (green tea, lemongrass and spearmint).



The Relaxing Company Inc., Riverside, Calif., creators of Mary Jane’s Relaxing Soda, introduces The Relaxing Tea, the world’s first RTD tea to enter the relaxation beverage market. With its natural blend of decaffeinated green tea and black tea, Kava Root extract and agave, it is designed for functional enjoyment during life’s stressful moments.

“We are particularly proud to be the first to introduce, not only a Kava-based tea, but a relaxation tea to this industry,” says Matt Moody, president. “It only has 13 grams of sugar per serving and has an undeniable relaxing effect.”