As we look forward to celebrating the beginning of a new year with a bottle of kefir, the Champagne of Dairy in hand, we wanted to take the time to reflect on how far we’ve come since January 1, 2015. A lot has changed, that’s for sure! The Lifeway team is growing and expanding almost as fast as our product offerings, and we’ve been honored to be involved with the charitable work of many of our favorite non-profit organizations.
We launched a new website and our first commercial. We expanded distribution to Mexico and made strides toward global distribution. We sponsored FoodCorps volunteers and recommitted ourselves to environmental sustainability. And we launched four new products – Protein Kefir, Pretty Plain ProBug, ProBugs Bites and Watermelon Kefir! It’s not much of a stretch to say we were busy this past year.
As our company grew, so did our blog. Every post, recipe, article and interview we share is designed to help you live your healthiest, happiest life. They’re designed to empower you with the information you need to stay up-to-date with health trends, provide you with tasty, delicious and healthy recipes the whole family can enjoy, and show you a little be more about who we are as a company and why we do what we do. Hopefully, you enjoy them (if you have, we’d love to hear from you!).
As we say goodbye to 2015 and hello to 2016, here is a look back at our favorite posts from each month of the year.
January
Lifeway Kefir is Good for the Environment
One of our brand pillars, and one of the way’s we’re Good for More Than Just You, is by being environmentally conscious and operating our company as responsibly and “green” as we can.
February
Lifeway Frozen Kefir Lands at Freshii
February was a great month for our frozen kefir line, as we teamed up with the fine folks at freshii to serve our soft serve kefir in their stores. Look out for more Lifeway Culture Shoppe in 2016!
March
Debuting New Products at Expo West
Expo West was an incredibly exciting time for us this year. We not only launched a new flavor of kefir (Watermelon), but we announced the newest member of the ProBugs Pouches family – Pretty Plain – and a completely new product Protein Kefir!
April
Drink Your Colors with Kefir
By now we all know that we should be consuming more fresh fruits and vegetables, and that a colorful diet is (most likely) a healthy diet. In April we started our, “Drink Your Colors with Kefir” series to spotlight the value of different colors of produce, and how to mix them with kefir for seriously sensational smoothies.
May
Fabulously Fermented
Cultured and fermented foods, including kefir, garnered a lot of attention in 2015 and are expected to really hit it big in 2016. To stay ahead of the game and give you the low down on what exactly fermented foods are, and why you should consume them, we worked with our team of experts to put together a simple guide that gives you everything you need to know. Check it out here.
June
5 Easy Ways to Improve Digestive Health
As a kefir company, we’re all about keeping your pipes in working order, but we know that probiotics are just one part of the equation. As more and more people experience digestive distress, we took a look at why it happens, and offered solutions to help remedy the issue.
July
Introducing the Made with Lifeway recipe ebook!
July was an incredibly busy month and we were so excited to kick it off with the first edition of Made with Lifeway – the Lifeway Kefir recipe and lifestyle ebook! We also launched a fall edition in September. In the books, you’ll find our favorite seasonal recipes, plus other exclusive content. Look for more editions coming n 2016!
August
Pretty Plain Arrives in Stores
When we announced Pretty Plain, our unsweetened ProBugs Pouch, at Expo West, customers couldn’t wait to get their hands on her. She officially arrived in stores in August and has been running the show since.
September
Cooking with Kefir: Healthy Swaps
We’re definitely ones to have our cake and eat it, too, but we’re also extremely conscious and deliberate with what we’re eating. We jump at the chance to use our creamy, nutritious kefir in any application we can, beginning with easy substitutions. Kefir for milk? Check. Kefir for sour cream? Check. Kefir for yogurt? Believe it!
October
Superfood Spotlight: Pumpkins
Superfood Spotlight is an ongoing series that we’ll definitely bring back in 2016, but our pumpkin spotlight was a huge hit! Bountiful in the fall through early winter, pumpkins aren’t just for pies and lattes, they’re a great source of beta carotene, fiber and vitamin C.
November
Boost Your Immunity, Just in Time for the Holidays
No one likes to get sick during the holidays, so we put together this list of seven smoothies, each paired with other immune system supporting ingredients, to help keep you feeling your best.
December
Food to Feed a Family: Probiotic Pasta Dishes
Pasta is great for so many reasons. Its customizable, quick, nutritious and perfect for feeding a hungry crowd (or just your family). A splash or two of our plain kefir is the perfect way to add a creamy – and probiotic – finish to your favorite sauces.
2015 was certainly a big year! Here’s to making sure that in 2016 we stay good for more than just you.