Kefir sales on a major roll

When looking at alternatives to traditional milk, as defined by Chicago-based market research firm Circana, one category clearly stands out: kefir. Sales of the refrigerated beverages are red hot, with dollar sales rising 23% year over year (YoY) to $211 million during the 52-week period ending June 15. This figure was bested by unit sales, which increased 26% YoY to 55 million.

Lifeway Foods Inc. is a key player in the kefir market, accounting for more than 80% of all U.S. sales. The Morton Grove, Ill.-based company’s dollar sales and unit sales increased by 17% YoY to $181 million and 47 million, respectively. Despite this dominance, private-label kefir is showing tremendous growth, with dollar sales advancing 167% YoY to $17.8 million, while unit sales skyrocketed by 207% to just shy of 6 million.

No. 3 seller, Kinderhook, N.Y.-based Maple Hill Creamery, also had an excellent year, enjoying dollar sales growth of 56% YoY to $3.8 million, pairing nicely with a 55% increase in unit sales to 562,096, according to Circana.

Turning to plant-based milk, overall dollar sales dropped 4% YoY to $2.45 billion. Unit sales suffered a deeper 5% YoY decline to 605 million.

However, a piece of good news for milk alternatives is refrigerated coconut milk. The beverage’s dollar sales continued its ascent, climbing 14% YoY to $121 million, as well as a unit sales rise of 10% YoY to 28.6 million. Danone US is the sales leader in this subcategory. The White Plains, N.Y./Louisville-Colo.-based company’s dollar sales gained 8% YoY to nearly $83 million, while unit sales picked up 7% YoY to 19 million, Circana data reports.

Another standout in coconut milk sales for the year ending June 15 was No. 3 seller Califia Farms. The Los Angeles-based company enjoyed triple-digit dollar and unit sales gains, respectively. Dollar sales rose 172% year over year to $13.2 million, topping an also impressive 132%-unit sales gain to 2.8 million.

Other milk-alternative categories posted more muted YoY results. Let’s start with the biggest subcategory in terms of overall sales: refrigerated almond milk. Overall dollar sales tumbled 7% YoY to $1.45 billion, with unit sales suffering a steeper 9% YoY decline to 377 million. Sacramento, Calif.-based Blue Diamond is the No. 1 seller in this category, but its sales dropped by 7% YoY to $537 million, while unit sales dipped 5% to 130 million, Circana data shows.

One standout in almond milk was Malk Organics. The Austin, Texas-based company, the No. 5 seller in the subcategory, saw dollar sales jump 82% YoY to $32 million, pairing well with an 87%-unit sales gain to 5.5 million.

Switching gears to oat milk, the subcategory eked out YoY gains in both dollar sales and unit sales, according to Circana. Dollar sales gained 0.1% YoY to just shy of $600 million, while unit sales reported a 2% YoY gain to 137 million. The No. 1 seller was HP Hood, which enjoyed a strong year. The Lynnfield, Mass.-based company’s dollar sales increased by 8% YoY to $210 million, bested by a 16%-unit sales gain to 55 million.

Although on a much smaller basis in terms of sales, Willa’s needs to be highlighted for quadruple-digit gains in both dollar and unit sales. The Brooklyn, N.Y.-based company’s dollar sales skyrocketed by 1,051% YoY to $533,055, with unit sales rising 1,240% to 93,975, good enough to be the No. 8 seller in the oat milk market.

Lastly, refrigerated soy milk offered mixed results, as dollar sales enjoyed a nice 3.5% YoY gain to $184 million, but units were flat YoY, coming in at 45 million units sold. Danone US was also the No. 1 seller in this category. The company’s dollar sales improved by 4% YoY to just shy of $150 million, with unit sales gaining 1% YoY to 33 million.

Booth Brothers Dairy also picked up steam in the refrigerated soy milk subcategory, with the division of HP Hood enjoying both a 5% YoY dollar sales and unit sales jump to $632,663 and 209,783, respectively. DF