Koel Thomae and Rob Graves hit the yogurt market at the right time. In 2009, they founded noosa yoghurt in Bellvue, Colo. (The company refers to itself in the lowercase.) Their creamy, whole milk yogurts flavored with native and exotic fruits have been a hit with consumers and retailers alike.
At the beginning of this decade, Fage, followed by Chobani, set off a chain reaction in the cultured dairy aisle with their Greek yogurts. Traditional cup-set yogurts were overshadowed by the thicker, higher-protein and more tart Greek varieties. The category also saw dairy processors promoting cream-top and organic versions. Yogurt brands added geographical modifiers, including Icelandic, Vietnamese, Australian, Swiss and German, thus creating a United Nations in the dairy aisle.