Building on the popularity and success of its “Bulgarian-style” yogurt, New York-based Trimona Bulgarian Yogurt has added a new Superfood range – and all of the company’s products are packed in fully recyclable, removable cardboard and plastic containers. 

“Trimona introduced America to Bulgarian-style yogurt ten years ago, and now we’ve gone to the next level of probiotic dairy evolution, or as we call it: Yogurt 2.0,” says Trimona Bulgarian Yogurt founder and CYO (Chief Yogurt Officer) Atanas Valev. “Refresh, Protect, and Revive, each combine the healthy benefits of both yogurt and superfoods.

“As soon as we saw the K3 pack from Greiner Packaging’s factory in Pittston, Pennsylvania, we knew it was a perfect fit for our wholesome and natural yogurts. Greiner tell me that Trimona was one of the first US dairy companies to adopt this innovative, fully and easily recyclable packaging.”

History, heritage and science

The Trimona Bulgarian Yogurt story combines history, heritage and science. The New York-based company was founded by food scientist Atanas Valev, who moved to the United States in 1991, bringing with him two jars of a homemade Bulgarian yogurt.

In Bulgaria, yogurt has been associated with good health for thousands of years. The scientific origins of this style of tangy yogurt date back to 1905, when a Bulgarian scientist, Dr. Stamen Grigorov, discovered Lactobacillus bulgaricus, the bacteria essential to the yogurt fermentation process. Soon after, Dr. Ilya Mechnikov won a Nobel Prize for showing that fermented milk was responsible for the health and long life of the Bulgarian people.

For years after arriving in the U.S., Atanas made his yogurt at home, perfecting the process, using a stable group of probiotic bacteria strains that work in symbiosis to create a true Bulgarian-style yogurt. Over time, the demand from friends and neighbors led him to offer it to local health food stores and farmers’ markets, and by 2010, commercial production had begun.

Protect, Refresh and Revive

For its new Superfoods range, Trimona Bulgarian Yogurt carefully chose the ingredients for the antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients they contain.

Protect is designed to protect body and soul and contains 5,000 milligrams of powdered organic Açaí, Maca Root, Aronia, Beetroot, Lucuma and MonkFruit; Refresh is designed to refresh your memory and your day, containing 5,000 milligrams of powdered organic Matcha Tea, Maca, Lucuma, Spirulina, Chlorella and Monkfruit; meanwhile, Revive is designed to revive your creativity and spirit, and contains 5,000 milligrams of powdered organic Maca, Lucuma, Mesquite, Turmeric, Cinnamon, Ginger, Black Pepper and Monkfruit.

The new Superfood range also features ProViotic, a powerful new and innovative, friendly bacteria, isolated from a snowdrop flower and grown in a vegetable juice. Vegan, organic and allergen free, ProViotic is scientifically proven to be a powerful pathogen inhibitor.

Sustainable packaging solution

Trimona uses Greiner Packaging’s 32oz and 5oz K3 pack for its plain Trimona Bulgarian Yogurt; and a 5oz for its new Superfood range. The K3 light-weight thermoformed cup is made from polypropylene (PP) and uses up to 33% less material than a conventional direct-printed, thermoformed cup of the same size. It is wrapped with a cardboard outer layer, made from virgin board. The K3 packaging solution has an improved CO2 footprint and it can be recycled efficiently, as the cardboard and plastic can be easily separated.

The 32oz Trimona Bulgarian Yogurt K3 pack is topped by Greiner Packaging’s new IML 409 (116mm) diameter lid which provides a secure and repeatable fit. Contributing to Greiner Packaging’s goal for delivering a circular economy, the lids and labels are monomaterial, both made from PP, the same as the K3 cup.

The outer cardboard wrapper, which can be easily removed to ensure recycling, can be printed on the reverse and this has created a perfect marketing and communication tool for Trimona.

“The K3 pack has many advantages but also offers the chance to talk directly to our end users,” say Atanas. “We use it to tell people about the history, heritage and science behind our traditional Bulgarian yogurt, and the genuinely good-for-you wellness benefits of our Superfood range.”

About Trimona Bulgarian Yogurt

Trimona Bulgarian Yogurt is made with whole milk and certified organic by the USDA. It falls into the “Bulgarian-style” category, so it is not strained – as whey is a superior source of protein and very rich in minerals such as calcium – and is therefore more pourable than the thick Greek-style yogurts.

Trimona Bulgarian Yogurt uses A2 milk and believes that the milk protein, or casein, from A2 cows is more healthful and more easily digested than the far more common milk from A1 cows. Trimona’s A2 milk is sourced from farms within a 30 mile radius. Happy, unstressed cows graze in their natural habitat, and not on pro-inflammatory grains and corn, so Trimona Bulgarian Yogurt does not contains any chemicals, preservatives, artificial hormones, antibiotics, starch thickeners or GMO’s.

About Greiner Packaging

Greiner Packaging is a leading European-based manufacturer of plastic packaging in the food and non-food sectors. The company has enjoyed a reputation for outstanding solutions expertise in the fields of development, design, production, and decoration for 60 years.

Greiner Packaging responds to the challenges of the market with two business units: Packaging and Assistec. While the Packaging unit focuses on innovative packaging solutions, the Assistec unit is dedicated to producing custom-made technical parts.

Greiner Packaging employs a workforce of around 5,000 at more than 30 locations in 19 countries around the world. In 2019, the company generated annual sales revenues of EUR 690 million (including joint ventures), which represents more than 40 percent of Greiner’s total revenue.