Expanding yogurt brands

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2024/4

Enikő Bolyós
head of sales
Danone Hungary

“The volume decline was the most pronounced in the spoonable fruit yogurt segment, while natural yogurts managed to maintain their position best. Our natural yogurts and yogurt drinks produced above average growth”,

analyses Enikő Bolyós, Danone’s head of sales in Hungary.

Discounters represent the strongest retail channel in this category too.

Brands with functional benefits

A Danone survey last year revealed: domestic consumers often make their yogurt choices based on taste, but healthiness and price can compete with this.

Izabella Szántó
product development
manager
Danone

 “Danone Kft. it is trying to support a healthy lifestyle, from the first thousand days of life to old age. In order to achieve this, we are also offering brands with functional benefits, in addition to products that have a high enjoyment value. Examples include Actimel fortified with vitamins, or certain Activia flavours with wholegrain cereals, the high-protein YoPro range, or brands with no added sugar variants”,

says Izabella Szántó, product development manager at Danone.

Satisfying all kinds of needs

Éva de Gereczné
Rudnai
head of procurement and marketing
Real Nature

“The inflation rate is going down, but unfortunately the real income of consumers hasn’t shown a positive picture last year, and this affects the consumption of almost all FMCG products. Real Nature hasn’t reduced the size of products, as our priority remains the distribution of valuable health-promoting products in Hungary”,

explains Éva de Gereczné Rudnai, head of procurement and marketing at Real Nature Kft.

Real Nature Greek yogurts – developed for Hungarian consumers – are very popular. Their one kilogram natural, lactose-free, light and cane sugar versions have been supplemented with smaller, 4x125g natural and strawberry variants. As regards lactose-sensitive consumers, the company has also improved its milk-based yogurts, offering yogurt drinks in 300g size, in forest fruit, strawberry and mango peach flavours. Since the number of dairy-free diet consumers continues to grow, Real Nature has rolled out the creamy, delicious but simple-composition MyLove product with live yogurt culture, made from oats, coconut and almonds.

Natural yoghurts prove to be more crisis-proof

Fruitful market presence

Nádudvari has been a top player in the natural yogurt market for many years, but in the second half of 2022 they also launched their first of fruit yogurt range.

Ádám Nagy
managing director
Nádudvari Élelmiszer

“With our layered cream yogurts, we have created a new product line that offers high quality at rather a high price. Despite this fact, it became very popular in a short time, winning the Value and Quality Award within a year. Based on its success, we decided to launch two new product lines in the fruit yogurt category last autumn”,

says Adam Nagy, CEO of Nádudvari Élelmiszer Kft.

The company’s fitness products are now also available on store shelves, in low-fat and low-sugar versions, with added vitamins C and D. The fruit yogurt range put 125g products on the market, in the 2 most popular flavours, with added vitamins.

Consumers respond to price rises with promotional purchases rather than switching to private labels

Thirty years of innovation experience

Naszálytej has also entered the fruit yogurt market from the natural yogurt side, but primarily they have focused on lactose-free fruit yogurts.

Katalin Péter
sales and marketing manager
Naszálytej

“For us lactose intolerance isn’t just a trend, as we have been dedicated to supporting lactose intolerant people with our innovation work for almost 30 years”,

emphasises Katalin Péter, sales and marketing manager of Naszálytej Zrt.

This is why the company has launched a lactose-free Greek yogurt range in this category. Their 0% fruit yogurts are made without added sugar, and Naszálytej’s higher fruit content yogurts are now also available in smaller size. All of these products are marketed under the Tarka brand. //