The Yogurt Wars

I won’t judge you for singing along to the English Beat. It tends to happen when I eat yogurt. I know it sounds a little retro mouthing ‘Wind and Grind’ when I’m swirling my spoon round the creamy bowl. I have an appreciation for yogurt because when I was growing up, I put myself through university on the stuff in the early 80s in Canada, and the best stuff was an unfiltered Greek yogurt that blew your mind. And I remember, too, how delicious it was to eat Blueberries with it along with Tears for Fears, and licking and slurping Greek yogurt piled high with nuts and seeds humming along with the Culture Club. All of this comes back to me in Technicolor as the yogurt wars gloriously whet our appetites here in America in 2013.

Recently it was a revealed that the third largest yogurt brand in Europe – Ehrmann – has it sights on the burgeoning American Greek yogurt market, which has easily blown past a billion dollars in sales without breaking a sweat. And with this new entry another player joins the challenge to grow and benefit from what can be best described as the new craze sweeping the nation.

There are several trends that are driving interest in the category by these savvy food brands. Consumption per capita in US is half that of Europe. It’s growing and growing, but it still has a massive way to go. This is a massive opportunity for food brands. And this is what’s driving the yogurt wars in the United States.

It all started with the growing national desire for better health, and better, more healthier food products. My ad agency, StrawberryFrog learned this working closely with the management of Sabra Hummus as this delicious velvety-smooth food has exploded into one of America’s favorite food brands on the back of this movement. In addition to “health”, simply stroll down the isle of any grocer and you’ll see pro and pre biotics, private labels, loads of new flavors, and other innovations like low fat and no fat, portability, and loads of options for my sons Jacoby and Ellis, who love yogurt tubes as every snacking kid does.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: Forbes