Gone are the days of plain cheese, regular yogurt and ordinary ice cream. Today’s dairy processors pull out all the stops to produce items that feature palate-pleasing flavor profiles. Here’s a rundown of newly released cheese, yogurt and ice cream products.

Cheese that pleases. Borden Dairy, Dallas, and Dairy Farmers of America, Kansas City, Mo., introduced GOOD2GETHER snack trays, a portable snack that combines real, natural cheese and crunchy mini-twist pretzels in a pre-packaged container. GOOD2GETHER snacks come with mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, Colby Jack and pepper jack cheese cubes in a 2.05-ounce package with easy-to-peel-back lid.

Sargento Foods, Plymouth, Wis., released Balanced Breaks, which combine creamy bites of natural cheese, crunchy roasted nuts and sweet dried fruits to create a wholesome snack. Each Balanced Breaks snack features 7 grams of protein and 170-190 calories.

Seattle-based Field Roast Grain Meat Co. launched Chao Slices, which are rich and creamy coconut cheeses seasoned with traditionally fermented soybean curd that the Vietnamese call Chao. This vegan cheese comes in Creamy Original with Chao tofu, Tomato Cayenne with spicy peppers and Coconut Herb with black pepper.

Tillamook County Creamery Association, Tillamook, Ore., released Really Thin Slices, a thinner-sliced cheese that’s made with all-natural ingredients and the highest quality milk from cows not treated with artificial growth hormones and boasts only 45 calories per slice. It comes in Medium Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, Pepper Jack and Swiss varieties.

Stonyfield, Londonderry, N.H., created Petite Crème, a silky-sweet fresh cheese that’s consumed just like yogurt. It’s made with cheese cultures (vs. yogurt cultures) added to organic milk, and comes in Vive la Vanilla!, La Vie en Strawberry, Belle Blueberry, Mon Cherry Amour, Ooh Lala Peach, Strawberry-Banana Ménage and Plain & Simple kinds.

Yogurt is more than just a cultured product. Stonyfield also introduced Oh My Yog! yogurt, made with organic whole milk and fruit that comes in a 3-layer format—fruit on the bottom, honey-infused yogurt in the middle and a layer of cream on top. It comes in Madagascar Vanilla Bean, Wild Quebec Blueberry, Pacific Coast Strawberry, Gingered Pear, Apple Cinnamon and Orange Cranberry varieties.

Miami, Fla.-based Alpina Foods launched what is said to be the first-ever line of yogurt infused with real coffee. New Alpina Café Selections includes Mocha, Caramel Macchiato, Vanilla Latte and Coffee varieties, and features a combination of smooth creamy Greek yogurt with the bold taste of real coffee.

WhiteWave Foods, Broomfield, Colo., introduced Yulu, a new Australian-style yogurt brand inspired by Yulu Double Smoothed, an authentic Australian recipe. Yulu is a full fat yogurt made with real fruit and double-blended to create a creamy, smooth taste. Each 5.3-ounce cup is packed with 9 grams of protein. It comes in Blueberry, Honey, Raspberry, Strawberry and Vanilla Bean flavors.

Hain Celestial Group, Inc., Lake Success, N.Y., expanded its DREAM brand to include a new line of COCONUT DREAM non-dairy yogurt. Available in Plain, Vanilla, Strawberry, Blueberry and Raspberry flavors, this non-dairy yogurt is made from real coconuts, is high in calcium, low in sodium and contains live and active cultures.

Organic Smári, Petaluma, Calif., developed new grass-fed whole milk yogurt, basically reformulated organic Icelandic yogurt to be even creamier. It comes in Peach and Coconut varieties.

Dannon Co., White Plains, N.Y., teamed up with Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton to launch Oikos Triple Zero, what is said to be the first-of-its-kind yogurt that boasts zero added sugar, zero artificial sweeteners and zero fat. It comes in Vanilla, Coconut Crème, Strawberry, Banana Crème, Mixed Berry and Peach flavors.

Dannon also partnered with Seattle-based Evolution Fresh to debut handcrafted Evolution Fresh smoothies, available in 4,300 Starbucks stores in the Pacific Northwest, Northern California and in select Starbucks locations within grocery stores such as Target, Albertsons/Safeway and Kroger nationwide. Made with traditional, proprietary Greek non-fat yogurt and super-premium, cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juice, the smoothies come in Sweet Greens (a vegetable-forward smoothie made from an assortment of green vegetables balanced with mango and banana), Strawberry (a classic strawberry smoothie enhanced with apple and banana) and Mango Carrot (a mango smoothie with a twist of carrot).

Ehrmann USA, Irvine, Calif., released new MIXIM high-protein Greek yogurt in a heart-shaped container with kid-friendly mix-ins in support of its charity partner, The Children’s Heart Foundation, Lincolnshire, Ill. Each MIXIM flavor comes with creamy, smooth non-fat Greek yogurt and a perfectly paired combination of toppings, including Cherry and Chocolate Curls, Raspberry with Dark and White Chocolate Curls, Mango Pineapple with Coconut and Almonds, Strawberry and Granola, Blackberry Pomegranate with Granola and Dried Fruits, Maple Syrup with Waffle Pieces and Blueberry with Chocolate Chip Cookie Pieces.

Tarte Foods, LLC, Santa Monica, Calif., introduced Tarte Asian yogurt, what is said to be the only Asian yogurt on the market. Pioneered as a healthy alternative in the traditional yogurt category, Tarte yogurt is not strained, and comes in Original, Strawberry and Guanabana, Acai Blueberry, Green Tea & Honey and Mango & Coconut offerings. 

Interesting ice cream flavors with fascinating names. Nestlé USA, Glendale, Calif., expanded its Häagen-Dazs brand to debut the Häagen-Dazs Artisan Collection. Created in collaboration with notable culinary artisans from around the country, the Häagen-Dazs Artisan Collection includes Tres Leches Brigadeiro, Banana Rum Jam, Chocolate Caramelized Oat, Spiced Pecan Turtle, Ginger Molasses Cookie and Applewood Smoked Caramel Almond flavors.

Retired professional golfer Jack Nicklaus teamed up with The Schwan Food Co., Marshall, Minn., (Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ 2015 Sustainable Processor of the Year, May 2015 issue), to launch Jack Nicklaus ice cream, available in Warm Spiced Butter Pecan, Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl, Salted Caramel Toffee, Strawberry Lemonade, Triple Chocolate, Coffee and Donuts and Homemade Vanilla flavors.

Ben & Jerry’s, Burlington, Vt., introduced The Tonight Dough, aptly named after NBC’sThe Tonight Show hosted by Jimmy Fallon. The Tonight Dough consists of caramel and chocolate ice creams with chocolate cookie swirls and gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough and peanut butter cookie dough. Proceeds from the sales will be donated to Serious Fun Children’s Network, which provides children with serious illnesses and their families with a life-changing camp experience.

Ben & Jerry’s also gave the existing “Half Baked” ice cream flavor a makeover thanks to its newest addition—Peanut Butter Half Baked—which includes a tasty twosome of chocolate and peanut butter ice creams mixed with gobs of peanut butter cookie dough and fudge brownies.

Ramar Foods, Pittsburg, Calif., extended its Magnolia Ice Cream line to include Kona Coffee Chocodamia Nut, a flavor selected by social media fan votes submitted through the company’s “Discover Our Next Flavor” Facebook contest. Kona Coffee Chocodamia Nut is an ultra-premium ice cream infused with cold brewed Kona coffee from Hawaii.

Coolhaus, Los Angeles, launched a host of new ice cream flavors. Grapefruit, Tarragon and Gin, for instance, is a cocktail-inspired flavor made with fresh organic grapefruit, tarragon and Adirondack gin from upstate New York. Mocha Marcona Almond is a play on mocha almond fudge, featuring coffee ice cream with a salty fudge swirl and marcona almonds. Avocado is made with organic avocados and sea salt. Dad’s Secret Stash is a scotch-spiced ice cream with M&Ms, marshmallow and smoked salt. Pear Vanilla is made with fresh organic sweet pears infused with tahitian vanilla bean. Fruity Pebble “Sammies” Cookies are like Rice Krispie treats with Fruity Pebbles. And, Pumpkin Cookies consists of cream cheese frosting and candy corn.

Pierre’s Ice Cream Co., Cleveland, Ohio, partnered with Cleveland Metroparks to create Emerald Necklace Premium Ice Cream, which celebrates and promotes the beauty of the parks, beaches, trails, picnic and fishing areas, golf courses and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. New Emerald Necklace ice cream features mint ice cream, chocolate cream cookies and trails of thick fudge, and benefits the Cleveland Metroparks Trails Fund.

Miscellaneous crowd pleasers. Boulder Brands, Inc., Boulder, Colo., revamped its Smart Balance brand to include new dairy-free butter, which features higher non-GMO vegetable oil content and less water than its dairy counterparts, and cooks and bakes just like butter.

Eggland’s Best, Cedar Knolls, N.J., launched a new line of liquid eggs, made with whole, real, farm-fresh Eggland's Best eggs that come from hens fed a premium, all-vegetarian diet. The Cracked & Ready variety delivers the same nutrition as Eggland's Best shell eggs, except the cracking has already been done. The Scrambled Eggs kind combines Eggland's Best eggs with just the right amount of buttermilk to create light and fluffy eggs every time. And, the French Toast Batter provides the perfect blend of sweetness and flavor with Eggland's Best eggs, vanilla and milk.

Green Valley Organics, Sebastopol, Calif., expanded its line of lactose-free dairy products with what is said to be the first real dairy, lactose-free cream cheese available in the U.S. market. Green Valley Organics Lactose Free Cream Cheese is made in a solar-powered creamery using a simple, carefully crafted recipe that delivers a perfect balance of sweet and tart in a rich, creamy texture. Perfect for everyday use or as an ingredient in cooking and baking, this cream cheese is minimally-processed and made with milk from a local family farm.

Likewise, Kraft Foods, Northfield, Ill., expanded its PHILADELPHIA brand to include Bacon Cream Cheese Spread, a savory breakfast spread that combines fresh milk and real cream with real Oscar Mayer bacon.

Challenge Dairy, a Dublin, Calif.-based owned subsidiary of California Dairies Inc., introduced four new cream cheese items sold under the Challenge brand and available in regular, spreadable, Nuefchatel and whipped.

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