The Greek yogurt category isn’t struggling, but it is adapting to consumers who are already familiar with the concept. It still accounts for 50% of the total yogurt category, but is experimenting with out-of-the-box products to keep the market fresh.
No sugar, no problem
Danone North America’s Light & Fit brand is known for prioritizing low calorie counts in its existing yogurts, but its latest launch goes a step further and tackles the high sugar content that often occurs in flavored Greek yogurt.
Two Good with roll out nationwide in February with five flavors: Vanilla, Mixed Berry, Peach, Strawberry and Blueberry. It has just 2g of total sugar, 12g of protein and 80 calories per 5.3 oz serving.
A main point for the launch is that it contains zero added sugars, as the 2g are naturally occurring sugars. This gives it 85% less sugar than the average yogurt, according to Danone.
Michael Neuwirth, external communications at Danone North America, told DairyReporter, “If we look at what are the historical benchmarks for category growth, they are things like Greek yogurt--products specifically designed for kids, products with mix-ins and toppings, products that are drinkable.”
“So whether it’s new formats or new audiences or a combination of both, we believe Two Good is a significant innovation that will bring renewed interest into the Greek segment.”
A slow-straining method
Two Good is made with patent-pending slow straining process that removes the sugar from the milk used to make the yogurt.
“Sugar is naturally present in the milk that makes yogurt. But we've discovered an amazing new way to reduce the concentration of sugar in the milk before we make a batch of Two Good. Then we take the milk and add in the active cultures, which break down the remaining sugar even more,” Danone said.
It then strains the milk and culture combination for longer than is typical of mass-market Greek yogurts. The slow straining reportedly removes most of the sugar and re-concentrates the protein content. It’s then flavored and sweetened with Stevia.
“It might come as a surprise to learn that even yogurts that claim to be lower in sugar have more sugar than you might realize - or want. We've created a yogurt that delivers the deliciously thick and creamy taste you love, without a lot of that sugar you're trying to avoid. Two Good isn't too good to be true, but it's pretty revolutionary,” Danone said.