US-based yogurt manufacturer Chobani has launched its first product outside the Greek-style segment in its domestic market.
Chobani emphasised the new Chobani Smooth line contained lower sugar and twice the protein of “other traditional yogurts” on sale in the US.
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It also said Chobani Smooth was made with “only natural ingredients”, pointing to Nielsen data from 2016 that it showed 58% of “traditional yogurts” on sale in US contained artificial sweeteners, artificial flavours or both.
The company said to make Chobani Smooth it lightly strains the yogurt to keep the protein that is naturally found in milk by combining a blend of live and active cultures and probiotics. Chobani said the process produces “a thicker texture” but without “the tart taste typically found in strained yogurts”.
Chobani believes its new Smooth line will help provide an option to the two million households that left the “traditional” US yogurt segment last year. The company claimed those consumers could not find a product that was “affordable, has less sugar and made with only natural ingredients”.
Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and chief executive of Chobani, said: “With Chobani Smooth, we’re bringing craftmanship back to traditional yogurt with a product that has less sugar and more protein than most of the options out there and no artificial sweeteners or flavours. This is what Chobani has stood for since day one, and now we’re giving people a delicious, natural option in another section of the dairy aisle.”
The company has developed five flavours and is selling the yogurt in a pack of two cups. The pack has a manufacturer’s recommended selling price of US$1.79.
Earlier this week, rival General Mills launched it called a “traditional, French-style” Yoplait yogurt in the US to boost its flagging sales in the category.
