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US organic dairy company Straus Family Creamery has launched a new range of organic low-fat kefirs, available in plain and blueberry flavours.
The drinks are packaged in the brand's reusable glass bottles, aligning with the company's commitment to climate-resilient practices, sustainable organic farming and zero-waste goals.
Straus' kefirs start by slowly fermenting whole and non-fat milk, blending them to produce a creamy 2% low-fat milk. Straus Family Creamery highlighted: "Similar to Straus yogurts, it is vat-set with live and active cultures and incubated just long enough to create a clean, balanced and perfectly tart cultured flavour". Avoiding ultra-pasteurization, this process results in a rich, sweet-fresh flavour and smooth, creamy texture.
Both flavours contain 11 live and active cultures with billions of CFUs per serving. The kefirs also carry six nutrient claims, being a good source of protein, high in calcium and low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.
The plain flavour is unsweetened with no added sugars. Meanwhile, the blueberry variant includes real organic blueberries and 5g of added sugar per serving, which Straus Family Creamery claims is "less than other leading brands". It also contains prebiotics and provides 20% of the recommended daily value of calcium.
Albert Straus, founder of Straus Family Creamery, said: “We always intended to have a great-tasting kefir that meets our sustainability and flavour goals. Like all of our products, the kefir reflects the high quality of the milk from our community of local family farms. Developing new organic dairy options for our customers allows us to further support our mission of sustaining family farms and the communities that depend on them.”
Straus' kefirs will be found at selected Whole Foods and independent natural grocers in Northern California from late January, expanding to Sprouts Farmers Markets and other independent stores from mid-February, with an SRP of $6.49 per bottle.