A NEW kefir drink produced by Jersey Dairy sold out in less than two weeks after proving more popular than expected.
The dairy produced its first batch at the start of August, but high demand prompted it to bottle a second batch twice the size.
Kefir is a fermented milk drink made using live bacterial cultures and kefir grains. It is associated with benefits including supporting digestion and gut health.
Dr Magdalena Drabble, Jersey Dairy’s director of operations, has been trying to introduce the product for “a long time” as it is “quite a popular product in Eastern Europe”.
She explained: “There is something about kefir produced from Jersey milk containing only A2 milk protein.
“It combines the natural richness and quality of Jersey milk with the digestive and nutritional benefits associated with both kefir and A2 protein.”
Dr Drabble, who is from Poland, said the growing influence of health and wellness on consumer habits meant the time was right to develop the drink.
While Polish kefir can be quite “sharp”, Jersey Dairy opted for a milder flavour more similar to products already sold in Jersey and the UK.
“There are lots of different kinds of cultures, you have mild or sharp, but we thought this would be better,” she explained.
The development, production and testing were all carried out at Jersey Dairy, with the kefir made in the same vats used for cream.
The kefir grains and bacterial cultures were bought from an international supplier.
“There hasn’t been much investment,” Dr Drabble said, “but if we want to scale up the product extra investment will be required.”
She hopes the kefir can eventually be exported. If demand remains strong, Jersey Dairy plans to increase production and make a batch every three weeks, keeping ahead of the product’s 35-day shelf life.
Dr Drabble added that Jersey Dairy could market its yoghurt as a high-protein product because of the natural A2 protein in Jersey milk.
“To produce yoghurt with even higher protein is definitely on the agenda at some point,” she said.
