Lifeway Foods test markets Kefir to Costco

28/12/05 The United States, Lifeway Foods, Inc., the nation's leading kefir manufacturer, has begun distribution to a limited test market of Costco stores in the Midwest region.

To be resold as a two pack, LowFat Plain Kefir will be the only flavor of kefir distributed by Costco. The first shipments of Kefir are expected to show up on store shelves this week.

Lifeway, named as Forbes' 38th best small business and Fortune Small Business' 47th Fastest Growing Small Business, is America's leading supplier of the cultured dairy product known as Kefir. Kefir is a milk-based beverage that contains ten types of "friendly," active probiotic cultures. While most yogurts only contain two or three of these cultures, Lifeway kefir products offer more nutritional benefits. Lifeway now offers 13 different flavors of its Kefir beverage, Organic Kefir and SoyTreat (a soy based Kefir). Lifeway also produces a line of products marketed in US Hispanic communities, called La Fruta Drinkable Yogurt (yogurt drinks distinct from kefir). In addition to its line of Kefir products, the company also produces a variety of cheese products and recently introduced an organic line of pudding called "It's Pudding!"

Costco currently operates 471 warehouses, including 346 in the United States and Puerto Rico, 66 in Canada, 17 in the United Kingdom, five in Korea, four in Taiwan, five in Japan and 28 in Mexico.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/051227/cgtu018.html?.v=34