Blog: US companies vie for Greek yoghurt supremacy

Michelle Russell | 9 August 2011

The battle for the top spot in the US Greek yoghurt category looks to be intensifying after Danone launched an offensive this week.

The French food group yesterday (8 August) announced a brand relaunch and an advertising campaign targeting market leader Chobani. Danone has dropped the Dannon Greek brand and renamed the product Dannon Oikos Greek to tap into the popularity of sister brand Stonyfield Organic Oikos Greek yoghurt.

The announcement follows hot on the heels of General Mills' move this month to launch an advertising campaign in the US for its Yoplait Greek yoghurt.

A spokesperson for General Mills told just-food last week that the campaign will be its first for Yoplait Greek. And, let's not forget, the brand also received a package redesign and reformulation back in March.

Earlier this year, Danone chairman Franck Riboud described the yoghurt category in the US as an "emerging market", with US consumers eating just over half the amount of UK that UK consumers eat, by value.

In just-food's Category Crunch feature, published in May, Euromonitor described Greek yoghurt as "the big story" in the category, and this indeed appears to be ringing true as companies scramble to take a larger share of the market.

Chobani, a brand developed by privately-owned firm Agro Farma, currently leads the field with what it claims is 57% of Greek yoghurt sales in the US.

But with Kraft Foods, General Mills and Danone all investing heavily in their brands, Chobani is facing formidable competitors aware of the growth and potential of Greek yoghurt in the US.