A wave of attractive and delicious yogurts is coming!

01 Yogurt's Vegan Salad In March, Nongfu Spring announced the launch of its new plant-based yogurt series, officially entering the dairy market. The innovative product, developed over three years by the Nongfu Spring team, uses advanced micro-fluid jet grinding technology to retain over 95% of plant fiber while removing graininess for a smoother texture. With a natural and healthy concept, this yogurt is stored at 0-8°C, has a 28-day shelf life, and is cholesterol-free, lactose-free, and low in saturated fat, with 4.0g of protein per cup. Nongfu Spring's yogurt comes in three flavors: coconut, almond, and walnut. The coconut flavor has already been launched at Hema stores in Shanghai, with a retail price of 9.9 yuan per cup.

New "Daily Qingti" Genki Forest, a rising beverage brand, is also intensifying its presence in the yogurt market, launching Hokkaido 3.1 Flavored Fermented Milk in March. Made from fresh raw milk, it contains 3.1 times the protein, focusing on high protein and no sucrose, targeting pregnant women and babies.

The new "Daily Qingti" targets post-meal consumption scenarios. It has no additives, simple ingredients, uses New Zealand milk sources, is freshly fermented daily, and contains 12 types of probiotics with 600 billion active bacteria to protect different parts of the gut. It is free of thickeners, stabilizers, flavors, and colors. With a 21-day short shelf life, it is transported under cold chain at 2-6°C. Available in three flavors: Japanese-style sweet original, mango kale, and blueberry elderberry.

Sugar-Limited "Little Blue Bottle" Around the same time, Le Pure launched its new yogurt product "Sugar-Free Check-in™". In less than ten days, it sold over 10,000 units in advance. This sugar-limited "Little Blue Bottle" is not Greek yogurt; it uses a unique dual fermentation of plant and animal sources, offering a new experience of being sugar-free yet delicious. The ingredient list only includes raw milk >95%, coconut pulp ≥2%, and lactic acid bacteria, with just 91 kcal per cup. The "Little Blue Bottle" uses imported cold-pressed coconut pulp, using the natural coconut flavor to enhance the rich aroma of milk, and then completes the upgrade from flavor to texture under the action of lactic acid bacteria. Additionally, the natural coconut pulp contains MCT (a type of fat) that increases satiety while avoiding accumulation in the body. The packaging adopts a simple and clear Japanese style, with a round, chubby bottle that fits perfectly in a girl's hand—compact and portable.

Both are making efforts in yogurt—can the industry leaders and runners-up sit still?

02 Since 2013, when Yili's brand Ambrosial entered the ambient yogurt market, it has controlled the pulse of the yogurt market. Yili currently has 11 sub-brands with sales exceeding 1 billion yuan, including Ambrosial yogurt, which has sales exceeding 10 billion yuan.

Recently, Ambrosial launched a new high-end drinking series with fruit pulp in orange & pineapple flavor, aiming to continue deepening its layout in the high-end ready-to-drink market. The new product meets consumers' needs for drinking anytime, anywhere with its smooth texture and portable bottle; at the same time, it selects imported sunny orange pulp fiber and sweet pineapple juice, perfectly blended with high-protein Greek-style yogurt, comprehensively upgrading the content and taste experience, with rich layers of flavor and double vitamin C nutrition, fully meeting consumers' needs for high-value nutrition and rich taste—healthy and delicious to drink.

The leader launches new products, and the runner-up naturally cannot sit still. In 2019, Mengniu continued to launch four new products, two of which were yogurt types: the new-style Huaguo Yoyou and Nordic Cheese Flavored Yogurt.

The refreshed Huaguo Yoyou was first launched on Miss Fresh, selling 8,000 cups at half price on the first day. This product is fermented with 100% fresh raw milk, with a specification of 180g per cup, available in jasmine snow pear and roselle cranberry flavors. Huaguo Yoyou contains large roselle flowers and large North American cranberries, innovatively combining fresh flowers, fruits, and milk, with a rich taste, strong aroma, and exquisite creative design. It is reported that the product has been launched simultaneously in Beijing, Hebei, Jiangsu, Shandong, and other provinces, and will subsequently be rolled out nationwide.

Mengniu is optimistic about the appearance economy and has launched a Nordic Cheese Flavored Yogurt with high aesthetic appeal. Nordic Cheese emphasizes "cheese paired with imported fruits, sharing nutrition and deliciousness." The ingredients are selected from global good ingredients, including imported Danish cheese, Canadian mixed berries, Alfonso mango, and Vietnamese passion fruit. Nordic high-quality fresh milk requires 10 pounds to make 1 pound of cheese, paired with imported fruits from various countries, using a smooth process for a smoother texture. This product also contains the popular cheese element of the past two years, while adding strawberries, raspberries, and other berries, highlighting the fresh style of fruits. Additionally, the product is packaged in PET bottles, with a specification of 220g per bottle, making it more portable and more appealing to young women and children.

Will yogurt continue to be popular?

03 In recent years, China's dairy industry has maintained a relatively high growth rate. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, in 2018, the national dairy processing volume reached 26.871 million tons, and the sales revenue of the dairy processing industry reached 339.891 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.72%. At the same time, consumers' total demand for dairy products has also been steadily increasing. According to estimates, in 2018, the total consumption of dairy products nationwide reached 47.35 million tons, and per capita consumption of dairy products reached 30.83kg.

The healthy development of the industry as a whole has not only accelerated the pace of product innovation among dairy companies, but also attracted many "outsider" companies to cross-border entry, becoming high-profile "new players."

According to Euromonitor International data, in 2017, yogurt sales surpassed milk for the first time. The "2017-2022 China Yogurt Market Prospects and Investment Opportunities Research Report" points out that the compound annual growth rate from 2015 to 2020 is still 18%. It is estimated that by 2020, the yogurt market size will reach 190.6 billion yuan, accounting for more than 50% of liquid milk. The average annual price increase for yogurt is about 10%.

The good data for the yogurt market is based on the uniqueness of yogurt products. Compared with white milk, yogurt decomposes a large part of lactose during fermentation, greatly alleviating possible allergic reactions and promoting lactose absorption. 90% of Chinese people with lactose intolerance prefer to drink yogurt.

Yogurt not only retains all the advantages of milk, but can also add more refreshing ingredients, such as a variety of fruits, vegetables, or grains, making it a more suitable nutritional health product for humans. In addition, thick yogurt provides a meal replacement option for consumer groups with high life pressure. Moreover, the trend of yogurt as a snack has greatly expanded consumption scenarios and increased consumption frequency, which will become another core driver for the continued high growth of yogurt in the future, in addition to health factors.

This article is compiled by

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