Mont Blanc Gourmet introduces world's first lactose-free blender drink
NO-MOO is a wholesale product available in vanilla, cappuccino and mocha flavors.
10/04/06 With an estimated 250 million sufferers worldwide, catering to the lactose-intolerant population is a highly profitable enterprise. Four years ago, Denver-based Mont Blanc Gourmet recognized a lack of lactose-free frozen drink offerings within the specialty beverage industry. Today, during the Specialty Coffee Association of America's annual conference, the company introduced NO-MOO(SM), the world's first lactose-free blender drink. NO-MOO is a wholesale product available in vanilla, cappuccino and mocha flavors. It is easy to serve -- all retailers have to do is add ice and blend.
"Approximately 20 percent of the drinks sold by retailers we work with worldwide are served with soy milk," says Michael Szyliowicz, chocolatier and co-founder of Mont Blanc Gourmet. "These are all hot drinks or drinks served over ice. Until now, lactose-intolerant customers have not had a choice for a dairy-free blended drink."
Mont Blanc Gourmet's team of culinary experts spent several years perfecting the NO-MOO recipe in order to create a lactose-free product that measured up to the company's high standards for taste. The research team began the product development process by using soy milk, but they did not like its "beany" flavor. The team turned to rice milk, which is made from whole-grain brown rice. This change made a world of difference, giving the NO-MOO products a naturally sweet flavor. As a result, NO-MOO has a creamy texture with a hint of malt flavor. The vanilla, cappuccino and mocha varieties add distinctive flavors to create a rich, ice cream-like drink without the dairy products. NO-MOO also has no trans-fats or hydrogenated oils.
Mont Blanc Gourmet creates and distributes premium syrups for specialty coffee drinks; frozen and non-dairy, liquid-based blender drink mixes; drinking chocolate; and custom-made private-label products. The company has a multitude of new products in development and continues to position itself as a leader in creating quality, innovative products that appeal to the sophisticated food and beverage palate of today's consumers. With sales increasing from $1M to $13M over the past three years, the company ranked number 52 in Inc. magazine's 2005 listings of "America's Fastest Growing Private Companies."
Mont Blanc Gourmet's client list includes Dunkin' Donuts, The Cheesecake Factory, Whole Foods Markets, Wild Oats Markets, Krispy Kreme, Peet's Coffee and Tea, Peaberry Coffees, Cosi, Caribou Coffee, Daz Bog, as well as many independent coffeehouses and restaurants throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, England, France, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Korea.
