A smooth and tasty nutrient-dense yogurt, AYO sets itself apart from the vegan yogurt pack
Not all yogurt is created equal. Often touted as one of the healthiest food options, the reality is that most yogurts’ ingredients read more like a dessert than healthy food. Not AYO Almondmilk Yogurt. With an organic almond base, AYO Almondmilk Yogurt is lower-sugar and probiotic-rich with live active cultures. It satisfies even the pickiest eater with its light, creamy, smooth texture and delicious fruit and vanilla flavors.
“We set out to make a high-quality yogurt with our family-grown almonds as a base,” says AYO Almondmilk Yogurt Founder and third-generation organic almond farmer Matt Billings, “We’ve succeeded in creating a vegan yogurt that is nutrient-dense, with the health benefits of twenty almonds per cup and rich probiotics.”Every cup of AYO Almondmilk Yogurt has three vegan live active cultures: lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp., bulgaricus streptococcus thermophilus, and bifidobacterium bb-12.
We had a chance to interview Matt Billings further to gather his insights on the AYO Almondmilk Yogurt:
VegWorld Q+A
What do you foresee on the horizon for 2021 in the plant based industry as far as buying trends in consumers?
We expect plant-based buying trends will continue to expand across multiple categories and grow during 2021 and beyond. 2020 with all of its challenges gave many people the opportunity to self-reflect. It also forced many people to learn to cook for themselves. Through this time of self-reflection, I feel people have made the decision to achieve a balance in the foods they eat. It also expanded the range of foods that they were open to try. Our palates have expanded as Americans. This expansion has given us the opportunity to try new things and eat a more balanced diet.
Do you expect the dairy industry to only continue to go down?
I am not an expert on the dairy industry so I do not feel qualified to answer this question.
Do you think the existing brands will lean more into non-dairy alternatives? I would expect existing brands with existing distribution channels will try and expand into non-dairy alternatives. There are multiple in market examples of this that have already happened in the last year.
Explain more about AYO’s “farm to spoon” slogan. How are your almonds harvested sustainably? We grow the almonds domestically in the Central Valley of California. We harvest and process the almonds and only our organic almonds go into our Ayo yogurt. We are a 4th generation farm because of the sustainability ideals my great grandfather handed down. Our goal is to farm sustainably so that we can pass down a farm that is more sustainable that what we started with.
We love our sustainable nutritious Organic Almonds and wanted to share them with the world. Through AYO Almond milk Yogurt we have been able to share a product that our family has grown and harvested with our growing base of loyal customers. From “Farm to Spoon”, from us to you.
Why do you think eating non-dairy alternatives, such as AYO yogurt is best for the environment? As an almonds farmer that has nurtured our land, I am confident and proud to bring our AYO yogurt to people across the country. Almonds are a very nutritious renewable resource. High in fiber, good fats and vitamin E and healthy plant based proteins. If that doesn’t make a perfect food I don’t know what does.
This “good bacteria” includes benefits to the digestive tract and gut health. Specifically, AYO Almondmilk Yogurt contains Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis, or BB-12, supplied by Chr Hansen, a preeminent source of probiotics worldwide. The many health benefits of the BB-12 strain have been well-documented, having been described in close to 400 scientific publications. Studies support BB-12’s health benefits for adults, such as better immune and oral health, promoting healthy cholesterol levels in the body, and increased bowel movements for adults and the elderly.
The benefits of BB-12 for babies and children include better digestive health, fewer episodes of respiratory discomfort, and better immune system support. Specific to babies, studies support significantly less fussing and crying and fewer instances of dry and scaly skin. What sets AYO Almondmilk Yogurt apart is the power of the 20 almonds in every cup. These are not just any almonds; they have been lovingly grown on the AYO third-generation organic family almond farm.
The Billing’s dedication to this “Farm to Spoon” philosophy is born from their understanding of the power of the almond, which is often referred to as a “perfect” food. Almonds are incredibly nutrient-dense. Not only are they packed with fiber, and good fat (9 of 14 grams per serving is monounsaturated “heart-healthy” fat), but they also contain many essential nutrients: Vitamin E, Manganese, and Magnesium as well as others. Magnesium is a mineral involved in more than 300 bodily processes, including blood sugar control. The health benefits of almonds are vast and include lower blood sugar levels, reduced blood pressure, and lower cholesterol levels. The almond is a nutritional hero, creating the base for nourishing vegan yogurt.Beyond the nutrient density and probiotic richness, AYO is much lower than other yogurts on the glycemic index, is high-fiber, low-fat, and lower in calories.
AYO’s has a vanilla yogurt option and three flavors made from organic fruit: sun-ripened blueberry, strawberry, and peach. They are all topped off with a lightly toasted almond flavor and all with a smooth, creamy texture, unlike some of the “gummy” vegan yogurts on the market. AYO Almondmilk Yogurt is the perfect addition to any healthy diet. Discover the “farm to spoon” flavor of a more modern yogurt at select stores across the US. Find a store near you at https://ayoyogurt.com/store-locator/, along with complete nutrition information.
About AYO Almondmilk Yogurt:
“From farm to spoon, from us to you,” AYO Almondmilk Yogurt is the only non-dairy yogurt crafted using organic almonds produced by fourth-generation farmers in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Run for more than 100 years by the Billings family, Billings Ranches is committed to forward-thinking practices of sustainability, traceability, and vertical integration, which nourish the land they are proud to call home.
In new AYO Almond Yogurt, the lightly-toasted almond flavor is enriched with live active cultures and the purest, clean ingredients to produce a probiotic-rich, vegan treat the whole family will love.
Learn more at ayoyogurt.com.
