Somewhere up on Mount Olympus the gods are smiling when they see supermarket shoppers pull Greek yogurt from the dairy shelves. They might even be getting a chuckle to know that after thousands of years Americans are just beginning to appreciate the joys of Greek yogurt, that fabulously rich and thick version that some consumers find superior to runny American yogurt.
During the past 10 years yogurt sales have tripled, according to yogurt maker Fage, but the Greek yogurt segment has exploded. Greek-style yogurt sales have increased 50 percent in the past year, according to information from the natural, organic and specialty food industry. Fage, Oikos, Chobani and Greek Gods are just some of the Greek yogurt brands sharing shelf space with familiar yogurt products. Aphrodite must be working hard to stir up the love for Greek yogurt.
“The popularity has grown immensely over the past couple of years,” said Phil Myers, general manager of Central Market. “Some people are just now hearing about it from a friend. They come in every day; they’re curious, they want to know about it. And then they’re immediately hooked.”
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