Lifeway Foods has booked a 23% jump in fourth quarter sales, thanks to growing distribution and awareness of its Kefir, ProBugs and BioKefir lines.

The company said gross sales rose to US$23m, up from $18.7m in the comparable period of last year. Consolidated net sales totalled $20.6m for the three-months to end-December.

“We are extremely pleased with the strength of our sales results as distribution and brand awareness of Lifeway’s Kefir products continues to grow rapidly,” said CEO Julie Smolyansky.

“The health and wellness benefits of kefir continue to resonate with today’s increasingly health conscious focused consumers, and we believe Lifeway is well positioned for increased growth as the use of probiotics dramatically rises on global basis.”