Maple Hill Creamery adds new full-fat, grass-fed Greek yogurt to its line

The company is now a third-party verified 100% Grass-Fed Organic dairy brand

In our September 2014 issue of Dairy Foods columnist Phillip S. Tong discussed the idea of the next "big" thing in yogurt being higher milk fat, see Will the next Greek yogurt please stand up. And he just might be on to something.

So what is the latest hot trend? There are a couple things that really stand out, like full-fat and grass-fed, which are popping up more across the category. Stuyvesant, N.Y.-based Maple Hill Creamery is one company who is reaping the benefits from these trends. It's been making organic, grass-fed, full-fat yogurt since 2009.

And with its latest introduction the company has tapped into three trends in one. It's new whole-milk Greek yogurt adds a “less sweet” option in the Greek yogurt market, in addition to being organic, grass-fed and full-fat. The Greek yogurt is available in five flavors: plain, peach, strawberry, vanilla and raspberry and sold in a 5.6-ounce container for a suggested retail price of $2.69 to $2.99.

The company also produces a variety of organic, whole milk creamline-style yogurts and drinkable yogurts. The creamline yogurts come in six varieties: maple, plain, lemon, vanilla, wild blueberry and orange crème. They’re available in 6- and 32-ounce varieties for a suggested retail price of $1.49 and $5.99, respectively. The 32-ounce size is only available in maple, plain and vanilla. The 12-ounce drinkables come in the same flavors as the 6-ounce, with a suggested retail price of $3.49. The 6-ounce cups contain 120 to 150 calories, 7 grams of fat and 7 grams of protein per container.

The company describes its creamline yogurts as European-style with a traditional tart flavor. Creamline yogurt features cream on top, a layer of milk fat that naturally rises to the top in the culturing process because the milk is not homogenized. The company does not use any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives in its products.

Maple Hill Creamery recently became first national dairy brand to receive Pennsylvania Certified Organic’s new 100% Grass-Fed Organic certification. Farms that supply its milk feed their cows organic grass during the growing season and stored organic grass (hay) in the winter.

Since the term grass-fed is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, grass-based dairy farmers initiated the development of this third-party verification program to ensure the authenticity of products claiming to be grass-fed. According to the company, this is important because some products have grass-fed claims when the cow’s diet contains only a minimal amount of grass. The verification is timely as the popularity of grass-fed dairy is gaining interest as consumers are becoming more mindful about the origins of their food.

Maple Hill Creamery products are available nationwide at Kroger, Sprouts, Stop & Shop, Vitamin Cottage, Wegmans and Whole Foods Market, as well as many independent retailers. The new 100% Grass-Fed Certification Seal can now be seen on its packaging.

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