23
Feb
2021
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Premiumizing milk to keep dairy relevant
Seasonal flavors, small-batch processing and fortified varieties add value to milk.
Chocolate milk grows up
Slate
Boston-based start-up Slate is rolling out better-for-you shelf-stable chocolate milk. The new canned product is made using ultrafiltration to eliminate lactose and reduce total sugars while concentrating high-quality dairy proteins. Slate is making its debut in three varieties: Classic Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and Mocha Flip (naturally caffeinated). All varieties contain 75% less sugar and 50% more protein than regular chocolate milk. Monk fruit keeps sugar and calorie content low. The brand Slate suggests reintroducing chocolate milk to consumers with a clean slate, with less sugar, no lactose and more protein.
Dessert chocolate milk
Dean Foods Co.
Dean Foods Co., Dallas, introduces TruMoo After Dark, a line of creamy, indulgent chocolate milk in three sophisticated flavors: Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel, Mexican Style Chocolate and Vanilla & Chai Spice. Sold in quart chug-style plastic bottles, a one-cup serving contains 230 to 240 calories, 8 grams of fat, 30 grams of sugar and 9 grams of protein.
Milk for the holidays
Rosa Brothers Milk Co., Target Corp., Top O' The Morn Farms, Hiland Dairy
Egg nog is no longer just for the winter holidays, with fall and spring variations often coming with a seasonal flavor twist. Such limited-edition milk flavors work throughout the year and create an urgency to purchase. It’s classic supply and demand. Shoppers recognize if they don’t purchase the limited-time offering when it hits the store shelf, it may not be available the next shopping trip. This presents an easy way to get shoppers interested in milk again. Innovative flavors, often with colors, can be offered for a limited time.
Seasonal and sports themes
Kemps, Shatto Milk Co., The Farmer's Cow
Limited-edition flavored milks can be centered around a sports team, a regional event or even local ingredients. Shatto Milk Co., Osborn, Mo., produced only 10,000 pint bottles of raspberry milk at the end of spring, while The Farmer’s Cow, Bozrah, Conn., used local blueberries to produce its limited-edition blueberry milk. Minneapolis-based Kemps has long been a proud dairy partner of the Wisconsin Green Bay Packers, offering limited-edition themed products during season. This past year, this regional dairy, which is part of Dairy Farmers of America, Kansas City, Kas., offered Packers Lemon Cream Lowfat Milk in pint plastic bottles.
Coffee and tea lattes
ITO EN Inc., McDonald's Corp.
Coffee and tea — cold-brew and traditional — are being blended with milk to make ready-to-drink single-serve and multi-serve latte-type beverages. They are being sold in glass and plastic bottles, as well as cans and even cartons. While best consumed cold, many are processed and packaged to be shelf stable, allowing for longer shelf life and extended distribution.
Single-serve flavored whole milk
Prairie Farms Dairy
Prairie Farms Dairy, Edwardsville, Ill., is bringing new single-serve 14-oz milk flavors to the marketplace. Designed for longer shelf life, visual appeal and cohesive identity, the new bottles bring innovation and flavor to the refrigerated beverage and milk cases. Recent sales trends show consumers are shifting away from skim and low-fat products in favor of full-fat or whole counterparts. Many offerings in the new lineup, including chocolate malt, strawberry, chocolate peanut butter and salted caramel, feature whole milk to meet this need. They also present a new look, including full-color, shrink-wrapped bottles to help consumers select their favorite flavors at just a glance.
Extra-protein organic milk
Organic Valley
New Organic Valley Ultra, is the first organic ultra-filtered milk available nationally. It’s packed with 50% more organic protein and 50% less sugar than regular milk. It comes in whole, 2% reduced-fat, 2% chocolate and skim varieties in 56-oz cartons.
Candy-flavored milk
Nestle S.A.
Big players want in on the premium flavored milk trend. Nestle USA, Arlington, Va., now offers Snickers and Twix milks. The new 14-oz plastic bottles allow consumers to drink a candy bar. The Snickers variety has bold, nutty notes mixed with chocolate and caramel flavors, while the Twix variety features chocolate, caramel and cookie flavors.
Small-batch, cream-on-top milk
Burroughs Family Farms
Burroughs Family Farms, Denair, Calif., now offers Cream Top flavored milks. The 100-plus-years-old California dairy uses a vat pasteurization small-batch process, which involves holding the milk at 63 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes and then quickly cooling it. This retains a high percentage of the milk’s natural enzymes and beneficial bacteria, which adds to the flavor and health benefits of the milk, according to the company. The milks comes in chai spiced, chocolate and lavender flavors and are sweetened with organic maple syrup.
Plant and dairy milk blends
Dairy Farmers of America
The highly creative team at Live Real Farms, a new brand owned and managed by Dairy Farmers of America, Kansas City, is combining the best of pure dairy with almonds or oats to make Live Real Farms Dairy Plus Milk Blends. Using a unique blending process, the company takes nature’s pure milk from 100% family-owned farms and creates a whole new milk taste and texture with just the right amount of sweetness. The combination of the flavor of almonds or oats that consumers love with the protein power of dairy is designed to satisfy the demands of families seeking the best of both worlds. The new beverage comes in five lactose-free varieties.
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