Siggi's Dairy

Siggi Hilmarsson, who was born in Iceland c. 1976, moved to the United States in 2002, to attend Columbia Business School in New York and earn a Master of Business Administration. Hilmarsson, who grew up on a "classic Nordic, Scandinavian diet," was surprised by the amount of sugar in the country's foods: "There was so much sugar in so many things, including yogurt. Some brands had the same amount of sugar as a can of soda."[1][2][3]

In 2005, Hilmarsson used his mother's recipe and began making his own yogurt, stating that he "wanted less sugar and less ingredients," but also because he missed the thick texture of Icelandic skyr. Hilmarsson said that his test batches were "sometimes great, sometimes horrible." Hilmarsson gave a test batch to Liz Thorpe, a friend who worked as vice president at Murray's Cheese in Greenwich Village: "One of her buyers got back to me and said 'If you're making this on a regular basis, we'll stock it.' That was my signal to take things from an enthusiast to a businessman." Hilmarsson quit his job later that year and began making yogurt experiments full-time in a test dairy plant at Morrisville State College in Upstate New York. After Hilmarsson prepared his first bulk order, it went on sale at Murray's Cheese. In 2006, Hilmarsson was selling his yogurt at a local market in New York.[1][2][3]

In late 2007, Hilmarsson was contacted by Whole Foods Market, which expressed interest in the yogurt and its low-sugar concept, and wanted him to provide a presentation in Austin, Texas. In January 2008, Hilmarsson's yogurt went on sale in half of all Whole Foods stores across the United States, rather than starting in a few regions first, which was customary.[1][2][3] During summer 2008, rapid demand outpaced the company's production capabilities. Hilmarsson had to cease production and shipping of the yogurt so he could raise money to purchase the necessary equipment to increase production and meet demands.[4] As of August 2010, Hilmarsson's company, Icelandic Milk & Skyr Corporation, had nine employees and approximately 350 cows from six family farms.[5]

To handle the potential of growing demand, the company began transitioning to a larger plant in 2013.[4] As of 2014, Siggi's yogurt was largely only available at Whole Foods and Target stores. That year, The Atlantic favorably described Siggi's yogurt as "tangy" and sour, but noted that it was more expensive than its competitor Chobani.[6] By 2015, the company had a backup manufacturing facility in Wisconsin; Hilmarsson said, "When your business grows enough, you don't want to rely on just one plant." As of 2015, Siggi's was available in 8,800 stores across the United States.[4] Siggi's was the fastest-growing national yogurt brand in 2015, with sales up 120 percent from 2014. At the beginning of 2016, Siggi's was available in 11,000 stores across the United States, including ShopRite, Target, and Wegmans.[3] At the end of 2016, Siggi's was available in approximately 25,000 retail locations across the United States, with sales up more than 80 percent from 2015. In December 2016, Siggi's announced that it had signed a deal to place its products in 7,000 Starbucks locations.[7]

As of December 2017, Siggi's was the fastest growing yogurt in grocery stores across the U.S., and the best-selling yogurt brand overall at Whole Foods Market.[8] Siggi's currently produces and sells a variety of yogurt flavors, including vanilla, mixed berries & açaí, orange & ginger, and vanilla & cinnamon.[9]

In January 2018, French dairy company Lactalis announced it had agreed to purchase Siggi's, which will continue to be run independently.[10]

• Official website