If you thought that discussions surrounding fruit and flavoured yoghurts are a little dry for your taste (pardon the pun), think again, because there is an entire world you’re missing out on.

Mashed, blended, whole or imitation. Fruit and fruit flavours are the perfect complement to any type of yoghurt and many brands are continuously searching for new and delicious ways to incorporate it into their range of products.

Although the possibilities are endless, diary manufacturers have to look to market trends to determine what will sell well and which investments are downright fruity. In fact the top 10 flavours are currently accounting for 25 percent of all yoghurt flavours, with strawberry and fruits of the Cape being right at the top.

 

Some of the most popular flavours are:

• Strawberry
• Fruits of the Cape
• Blueberry
• Vanilla
• Peach
• Plain
• Raspberry
• Honey
• Black Cherry
• Berry
• Pineapple
• Cherry
• Lemon
• Banana

Yoghurts with berry fruit flavours have already been leading the pack for the last three years in a row and currently make up 13.54 percent of sales.

Consumer perception plays a pivotal role when it comes to flavour preferences. Even though it might be a complete fallacy, perceived health benefits of certain flavours, such as pomegranate or acai berry vs. chocolate or caramel flavouring, drive the flavour trends of yoghurt.

A perhaps surprising success story is that of the recent increase in the popularity of pomegranate flavours (both by itself and in combination with other flavours). Since pomegranate is naturally both slightly sweet and a little bit tart, it goes very well with yoghurt products. There has also been an increase in the number of tropical flavours that are currently being requested such as coconut, guava, passion fruit and mango.

While fruit flavours continue to be at the top of the list, interest in sweet dessert-type flavours are also picking up. These include:

• Red Velvet Cake
• Boston Cream Pie
• Strawberry Cheesecake
• Cherry Cheesecake
• Apple Pie
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Cherry Cobbler
• Blueberry Pie
• Cinnamon Roll
• Chocolate Mousse
• Berry Torte
• Lemon Meringue

‘Adding extras’ for yoghurt are also becoming increasingly popular (again due to the rise in ‘health-awareness’). For example:

• Whole Grains
• Nuts
• Chia Seeds
• Flax Seeds
• Pistachios

There is also a trend in combining ‘healthy’ options with less healthy additives (or the other way around). Examples include:

• Caramel with Pineapple Chunks
• Coffee with Dark Chocolate Chips
• Fig with Orange Zest
• Honey Ginger
• Mint with Dark Chocolate Chips
• Raspberry with Dark Chocolate Chips

While yoghurt manufacturers are typically focussed on women, men are a growing target. With the increasing popularity of Greek yoghurt (due to the higher protein content) analysts are predicting a shift in the market whereby dairy producers will start to target men by offering yoghurt which contain an even higher protein ratio. It remains to be seen but fruit flavours will most likely appeal more to the male market.

Lakeland has individualized recipes, engineered to meet our customers’ specifications regarding texture, colour, fruit content and flavor. These are used during the manufacturing process to produce yoghurts, ice cream, drinking yoghurt and flavoured milk. Have a look at our product range on our website to see our variety of fruit pulps and syrups.