ATANAS VALEV, founder, Trimona Foods: The Bulgarians invented yogurt, and it's coming to America...
Not so long ago, the only yogurt that US consumers - and retail buyers - appeared to be interested in was the thick, protein-packed Greek variety. Today, as brands such as Noosa have proved, there is more room in the market for other options, says the entrepreneur behind Bulgarian yogurt Trimona.
Developed by Atanas Valev - an agricultural engineer and yogurt enthusiast from Bulgaria who arrived in the US in 1991 - Trimona Bulgarian yogurt is made in a certified organic farmhouse creamery in New York State and is now available in around 300 stores in Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and several other states.
Made with Valev’s custom-selected live cultures and organic whole milk from grass-fed cows (primarily of the Jersey and Guernsey variety), Trimona is not strained like Greek yogurt (the whey stays in), giving it a lighter, but creamier texture.
It contains no milk powders, thickeners or added sugar, has a lower pH (3.4-3.5 vs 4.0-4.9) than many other yogurts, and has a ‘tangy’ taste, says Valev: "There's nothing added, and nothing removed. It’s not thick and heavy like Greek yogurt, but it’s not watery either. It’s really creamy.”
“I just want people to try it,” says Valev, who spent years making yogurt in his kitchen before finally resolving to see if the unsuspecting American public would enjoy it as much as he did.
Click HERE to read our recent interview with Valev.
