Cheese coffee? Australian dairy thinks the time is ripe

Gourmet butters​

Boughton said flavored butters will gain momentum in 2019.

His observation is that there are now sweet and savory flavored butters such as honey, pistachio, jalapeno, lemon zest, pumpkin seed and even seaweed flavored butters.

Boughton said there will be food companies answering consumer demands and providing packaged flavored butters sold at retail for convenience.

Coffee. And cheese?​

First it was butter coffee, commonly referred to as ‘bulletproof coffee’ and now cheese coffee is the latest fad baristas all over the world are discovering, Boughton added.

“Cheese in coffee has a similar texture to marshmallows in hot chocolate, the cubes of cheese float to the top and absorb the coffee developing a squeaky texture,”​ Boughton said.

“It doesn’t stop there though; cheese tea is also a trend which we expect will become mainstream by the end of the year. The cheese tea trend started in Asia, then moved to the US and will finally hit Aussie shores in a big way this year. Cheese tea is usually served with either green or black tea and topped with a thick layer of salted cream cheese. As the cheese melts on top it forms a similar texture to melted ice cream with a salty tang.”​

Protein​

The protein trend has taken many food categories by storm, but Boughton believes the dairy category presents numerous opportunities to satisfy protein savvy customers.

He said the trend includes high-protein yogurts, ice cream and convenient snack products that fit into the ‘on-the-go lifestyle.’

New dairy proteins make formulating protein-fortified products even easier.

“We’re now seeing a completely new category for protein emerging because a form of whey protein which can function in clear beverages is now available. Consequently, ‘Protein Waters’ is a category which is growing at a rapid rate.”​

Furthermore, consumers are becoming more aware of the importance of gut health and the benefits of the fermentation process. Nutritional ingredient companies have been quick to respond to this trend and are now offering a whey protein isolate with prebiotic-promoting properties, tapping into the interest in the gut microbiome, he added.

Maxum Foods is one of Australia and New Zealand’s suppliers of dairy ingredients to the human health and nutrition and the animal nutrition industries.  The company specializes in supplying medium to large-scale food manufacturers with dairy ingredients such as milk powders, cheese and butter.

Maxum Foods will be featured on this week's Dairy Dialog podcast, with an interview with Boughton.