Yum Is for Yogurt

I've been a yogurt fan for decades. I started out with basic Dannon in the 80s, moved on to 100-calorie light yogurts in the 90s, was charmed by chocolate yogurts in 2000, and was thrilled with the debut of Chobani Greek yogurt in 2007. I've appointed myself as an (un)official spokesperson for Chobani because I mention their yogurt almost daily to my patients and clients. I promote it for people trying to lose or gain weight thanks to its high protein content, for people with diarrhea or constipation thanks to its probiotics, and for several other nutritional needs as it is a good source of calcium and potassium.

So when I recently received samples of Ehrmann Bavarian low fat yogurts to taste-test, I was a little hesitant since I've become such a diehard fan of Greek yogurt. But I will also never refuse free food! I researched the company and found that Erhmann yogurt has been a mainstay in Europe for decades but now has a branch in Vermont, home to some of my favorite foods including Lake Champlain chocolates, Cabot cheese, and Ben & Jerry's.

I received Ehrmann's five fruity flavors (strawberry, peach, cherry, blueberry, blackberry-pomegranate) and dug in. The container comes with plain lightly sweetened yogurt in one compartment and the fruit mixture (with real fruit by the way) in another; the nifty packaging allows you to bend the fruit part over the yogurt to pour it in. The yogurt had a nice texture—creamy and not too thick or thin. The fruit mixture was really sweet but tasted great when blended into the yogurt. I enjoyed each flavor perfectly fine, and would even consider these as a healthful dessert alternative to satisfy a sweet tooth. Each yogurt has 140 calories, 1.5 grams fat, 7 grams protein, 15% calcium, and 20% vitamin D. I liked the consistency of the yogurt better than Columbo or Stonyfield, which can be watery, gloppy and thin. The price is a little steep (retails at $1.69 per 5.3 oz cup at Shaw's supermarkets) compared with Dannon at $.79 per 6 oz cup or $1.29 for Chobani per 6 oz cup. I've noticed that Greek yogurt has engulfed the yogurt shelves, with Dannon, Stonyfield and Yoplait all arriving with their own versions...most at lower prices than Ehrmann while delivering a higher nutritional punch. So I'm not sure that Ehrmann yogurt can survive such stiff competition, as tasty as it is. I noticed some fan comments on their Facebook page that they offer Chocolate Chip and Hazelnut versions in Germany. Now those are yummy sounding flavors that could give them a real edge here...but unfortunately not yet available in the USA. I do wish them all the best as a nice high-quality product to try!