Happy New Year! Not sure of the cut-off date for offering these well wishes, but as the first blog post of 2026, Happy New Year!
It’s been quite the dramatic start to the year, especially in dairy. I can only wonder what the original Milk Mustache sporters are thinking with this week’s recent addition. Some things you cannot unsee. This one is haunting.
Nevertheless, dairy is at the top of the Dietary Guidelines and whole milk is back in schools. We cannot stop there. Innovation is paramount to keep dairy relevant, and the Daily Dose of Dairy, brought to you by BerryOnDairy.com is your place for inspiration.
That brings me to a term I learned this week at the Winter FancyFaire hosted by The Specialty Food Association (SFA) in San Diego. It’s Honest Processing.
While ultra-processed has become a scarlet letter, food and beverage production processes are not the real issue. After all, processing is necessary. It’s also called cooking, preparing and manufacturing.
Instead, consumers are rejecting the mystery behind how foods are made. This trend redefines the line, where processing is visible but still has a definite purpose. Think pasteurization to make milk safe and give it shelf life. Think dehydration to make milk and dairy proteins accessible, nutrient-dense ingredients to create powerhouse foods and beverages. Think fermentation to deliver extra gut health benefits through yogurt and other cultured dairy foods.
These are justifiable processes that need to be communicated to consumers to reduce consumer apprehension and enhance understanding of how their favorite dairy foods are made. Communicate about honest processing in 2026. Be transparent.
The SFA identified other key trends for 2026, with SenseMaxxing being the “it” trend of the year. SenseMaxxing is an embrace of experiential intensity, where every bite and sip cranks up the volume on sensory saturation. In the current cultural moment, when technology and AI are encroaching on our personal and professional lives, it’s a reminder of our uniquely human senses, senses that are precious, powerful and worth leaning into. SenseMaxxing says goodbye, boring beige and hello, full-on feeling.
Dairy can do all this and more. Read about “Taking Texture to the Next Level” in an article I recently wrote for Food Business News HERE.
Amid the “numbness” of modern life, consumers are demanding friction, brightness and truth, not smooth neutrality. They want experiences that make them feel alive; those that are imperfect, loud and deeply human. If a product doesn’t punch through the noise in terms of taste, texture, aroma or make you feel something visceral, it simply won’t break through in 2026.
SenseMaxxing is all about sensory saturation so intense that it verifies reality, where consumer appetites really hit their apex. It’s sourness that makes us squint, crunch engineered for maximum acoustic impact, bubbly drinks that wake us up, visuals that prompt a double-take and a multi-sensorial symphony designed to provoke a reaction and affirm the human ability to feel. Think mouth-puckering, freeze-dried citrus fruit inclusions in a side compartment for yogurt or swicy shell coatings on an ice cream bar.
“We spend 12 hours a day touching smooth, one-dimensional glass,” said Kevin Ryan, founder and CEO of Malachite Strategy and SFA trend partner. “These trends show how much our current culture is craving an element of humanity in a world driven by technology. SenseMaxxing is the consumer’s quiet rebellion against sameness. From texture and flavor to visual brightness, SenseMaxxing will be one of the key ways products and brands differentiate in 2026.”
SFA experts also compiled four additional key trends that will guide the food and beverage industry in the year ahead. They are Rooted Rituals, The Appetite Reset, Shelf-Stable Chic and The Promiscuous Palate. All of them are relevant to dairy.
Rooted Rituals: In response to the always-on, fast-paced era we live in, we’re seeing the rise of food and beverages that make us feel anchored in something real, meaningful and made with purpose. Ritual means products that invite a slower pace, either in the way they’re consumed or in the way they are produced. Think patience, time, sequence and intention. Think cave-aged cheese, strained Greek yogurt and slow-churned gelato.
Did you miss Monday’s Daily Dose of Dairy? Devin’s Foods introduces Real Living Yogurt. The whole milk yogurt is made with A2 milk using a 36-hour culturing process and claims to deliver “300-times more probiotics.” The product is “not sweet, not sorry.” It’s tart on purpose, according to the company. There are three different varieties—Good Gut, Good Glow and Good Mood—made with varying probiotics to deliver the promise made in the descriptor. They also contain the prebiotic fiber inulin. The product is making its debut in 32-ounce multi-serve containers.
The Appetite Reset: A revolutionary rewiring between hunger and reward is happening among consumers. As GLP-1s have crossed over from celebrity gossip to a cultural phenomenon, millions are now eating with recalibrated hunger signals, so every bite must earn its place and offer satiation. Add to this consumers’ increasingly personalized wellness habits, which are driving sustained demand for protein, fiber and other functional ingredients. Volume is out, and density is in. Products may include single-serve, protein-packed bites, savory and salty foods over sugar, and structured hydration beverages.
Did you miss Tuesday’s Daily Dose of Dairy? Etelka—named after the Hungarian word for nourishing—was born from the shared craving of two best friends for a healthy snack that felt like home. Nikki Vereczkey and Karolina Vass are longtime friends with deep Hungarian roots and a shared passion for bringing traditional European foods into the modern American kitchen. Together, they created Cottage Cream.
Cottage Cream is a smooth, probiotic-rich dairy product made using an authentic European recipe and technique. One 5.3-ounce single-serve cup contains billions of probiotic cultures and 18 grams of protein. You might recognize it from family recipes or travels as quark, túró, or twaróg. What sets it apart is its rich, buttery flavor, silky smoothness, and low-calorie, low-fat profile.
Cottage Cream offers a smoother, more indulgent alternative to cottage cheese, without compromising on high-protein nutrition, according to the company. Etelka’s Original Recipe and Hungarian Vanilla flavors will soon be available at select small and large grocers throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan in single-serve (5.3 ounce) and multi-serve (16 ounce) sizes. Following the New York launch, the founders plan to expand nationwide.
The Promiscuous Palate: For years, authenticity implied faithful reproduction. But today, as consumers encounter and embrace ingredients like gochujang, piri-piri or miso, globally sourced products become beloved building blocks of snacks, meals and drinks. Beyond fusion, this trend is about exploration and creativity among consumers in increasingly multi-ethnic households and spaces.
Did you miss Thursday’s Daily Dose of Dairy? Kessho, an Austin, Texas-based craft chocolate company, is now producing Asian Gelato. Those two words together already make the taste buds tingle. Four varieties of dairy-based gelato debuted at Winter FancyFaire. They are: Black Sesame Buttercup, Ceremonial Matcha, Lychee Rose and Ube.
Shelf-Stable Chic: Fresh food used to be the ultimate flex, but in 2026 the new status symbol is a curated pantry. This isn’t survivalism. It’s intentional abundance. The pantry is now an expression of both self and social identity, demanding elegance and beauty from the packaging and products that are curated. Think saving the glass jars from premium yogurt and using them to store spices or collectable old fashion milk bottles as vases.
This year is going to be a fun and wild ride for dairy. Buckle up buttercup! Cheers!
