Trimona Bulgarian yogurt unveils new line, rolls out at Sprouts, as shoppers buy into grass-fed, organic, whole milk credentials

By Elaine Watson

- Last updated on GMT

Trimona Bulgarian organic whole milk yogurt is not strained like Greek yogurt (the whey stays in), and has a lighter, but creamier texture
Trimona Bulgarian organic whole milk yogurt is not strained like Greek yogurt (the whey stays in), and has a lighter, but creamier texture

Related tags Milk

If Bulgarian yogurt is still well below the radar of most Americans, growing numbers of shoppers are looking for organic, grass-fed and whole milk products in the dairy aisle, and Trimona ticks all three boxes, says founder Atanas Valev, who has just secured shelf space at Sprouts nationwide and unveiled new packaging and flavors. 

“We’ve always used grass fed whole milk but now we’re seeing a lot of brands adding whole milk lines because it’s suddenly on-trend, and we’re also seeing more grass-fed claims, although they all mean slightly different things.”

Made in New York State with organic whole milk from grass-fed cows (primarily Jersey and Guernsey cows), Trimona​ Bulgarian yogurt is not strained like Greek yogurt (the whey stays in), and has a lighter, but creamier texture, says Valev, who has also struck deals with Wegmans, scores of independent retailers, and two Whole Foods regions (northeast and mid-Atlantic).

Made with Valev’s custom-selected live cultures (which he carried in his suitcase from Bulgaria in jars when he arrived in the US in the 1990s), Trimona 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 a ‘tangy’ taste, says Valev, an agricultural engineer and yogurt enthusiast convinced that there is life beyond Greek in the yogurt aisle.

While he doesn’t make any claims about this on pack, some people that experience digestive problems when they eat dairy find that they can enjoy Trimona yogurt, which Valev attributes to the fact that his milk comes from Jersey and Guernsey cows, which are known to produce milk with higher levels of A2 beta-casein (a milk protein) and lower levels of A1 beta casein (a milk protein which some researchers link to digestive discomfort click HERE​).

Digestive issues after drinking milk are typically attributed to intolerance to lactose (milk sugars) or milk protein allergy (which can be severe). But if both of these have been ruled out and people are still experiencing mild digestive discomfort, one theory is that A1 protein may be causing their problems, argues Valev.

"I think talking about A1 or A2 beta casein is still a new concept for many American consumers but I really think there is something in it as so many people have digestive issues with milk but they are not lactose intolerant. We’d like to use milk containing 100% A2 beta casein, but it's going to take time to get there.

"What I also find interesting is how many women I speak to in their 40s when I am doing instore-demos that say that they used to be able to tolerate dairy and now they can't. It's purely anecdotal, but you wonder what is going on."

Trimona Foods founder Atanas Valev

“Obviously people have been eating fermented milk products for thousands of years, but the culture now used as standard in yogurt production​ [Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus​] was discovered by a Bulgarian microbiologist Dr. Stamen Grigorov back in 1905.

“And his work was a big influence on ​[Nobel prize winner] Élie Metchnikoff ​[Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov], from the Pasteur Institute in Paris​ [who reckoned all that fermented dairy might have something to do with the longevity of Bulgarian peasants]. And this guy was the father of probiotics​.”

Atanas Valev, founder, Trimona Foods

Trimona Bulgarian yogurt
The new mix in range comes in four flavors: Blueberry lavender; raspberry coconut; honey ginger cinnamon; and mango passion fruit (Pictured: raspberry coconut)

Innovative flavors

Trimona's new range of mix-in products (blueberry lavender; raspberry coconut; honey ginger cinnamon; and mango passion fruit) have just hit stores and repeat orders are already coming in, which is encouraging, says Valev.

“We got the inspiration for the new packaging design from Bulgarian pottery designs, and it definitely stands our better on shelf.”

Trimona plain Bulgarian yogurt
Made in New York State with organic whole milk from grass-fed cows (primarily Jersey and Guernsey cows), Trimona Bulgarian yogurt is not strained like Greek yogurt (the whey stays in), and has a lighter, but creamier texture

Related news

Related products

show more

Consumer Attitudes on Ultra-Processed Foods Revealed

Consumer Attitudes on Ultra-Processed Foods Revealed

Content provided by Ayana Bio | 12-Jan-2024 | White Paper

Ayana Bio conducted the Ultra-Processed Food (UPF) Pulse survey, offering insight into consumers’ willingness to consume UPFs, as well as the variables...

Future Food-Tech San Francisco, March 21-22, 2024

Future Food-Tech San Francisco, March 21-22, 2024

Content provided by Rethink Events Ltd | 11-Jan-2024 | Event Programme

Future Food-Tech is the go-to meeting place for the food-tech industry to collaborate towards a healthier food system for people and planet.

Palate Predictions: Top Flavor Trends for 2024

Palate Predictions: Top Flavor Trends for 2024

Content provided by T. Hasegawa USA | 08-Jan-2024 | Application Note

As consumers seek increased value and experience from food and beverages, the industry relies on research to predict category trends. Studying trends that...

Related suppliers

1 comment

Real Bulgarian Yogurt

Posted by Jivko Radev,

This is the fact of the matter!
This is real Bulgarian Yogurt presented of unique Bulgarian man in the USA.
Hats off!
Be happy Nasko !

Report abuse

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars