| Product Name | Trimona Yogurt | |
| Rating | (4)  |
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| Location | New York | |
| Products | Yogurt | |
| Market Area | Nationwide | |
| Web Site | http://www.trimonayogurt.com/ | |
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| They write: My name is Atanas
Valev and I am the founder of Trimona Foods, Inc. I was born in
Plovdiv, Bulgaria – a crossroad of many ethnic cultures and religions –
a city older than some of the oldest cities in the world – Rome,
Athens, and Constantinople. In 342 BC, Plovdiv was conquered by Philip II of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great) and it was named Philipopolis. During the Roman invasion in the middle of 1st century AD, Philipopolis became part of the Roman Empire and was renamed Trimontium (The City of the Three Hills). In the last century, the most popular hotel-restaurant in Plovdiv was named Trimontium and became a symbol of the city. The citizens of Plovdiv gave it the nickname, “Trimona”. Whether it’s a budding rock band practicing in their garage, a writer scribbling her tale on some napkins, or an artist sketching his masterpiece on some old notebooks, our story is no different. It all began late at night in my cramped kitchen. I remember waking up my wife in the middle of the night and asking her to taste the last batch that just came out, holding a spoon of yogurt before her half-asleep face. Despite the sleepless nights and failures, there was some indescribable excitement about making yogurt in my kitchen. I was absolutely passionate about it and there was no stopping me. Those first steps were followed by a two-year transition from that tiny kitchen to our creamery. We incorporated the “peacock feather” motif, a pattern used in the traditional Bulgarian pottery in our label design. Centuries ago, yogurt was made and served in these beautifully decorated ceramic bowls. We want to preserve that history and continue the tradition by using it on our very own cups. We are confident in three things: 1) Cows should eat grass 2) We whole-heartedly love yogurt 3) With this “whole”-hearted love, we believe that yogurt should be made from whole milk We do not strain our yogurt and we keep the healthy whey. Nothing is removed and nothing is added. This is what we call natural and that’s how our Bulgarian yogurt was born in New York. Yogurt is a huge part of the Bulgarian culture. It is the most popular food as it is used in many recipes and healing remedies. In the Bulgarian language it is called “kiselo mliako” which translates to “sour milk”. That’s why the original yogurt is tangy and tart in its flavor. Just like a good wine that needs to age in an oak barrel to bring out the best of its flavor, this tangy and tart flavor is the required proof of the quality of the yogurt. |
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| Criteria | Points | Comments |
| Ownership Structure | 80 | Family business |
| Milk Supply | 70 | Milk of Integrity |
| Disclosure of Information for Verification | 100 | Full and open disclosure |
| Certifier farms | 100 | COI |
| Certifier processing | 100 | |
| Cows on pasture time/acreage provided | 100 | Fully pasture-based |
| Health and longevity of cows | 100 | Very low cull rate |
| Replacement animals only from organic farms | 100 | Closed Herd |
| Antibiotics used on young cattle | 100 | Never |
| Reproductive hormones used | 100 | Never |
| Farm support oversight | 90 | All dairies are visited regularly |
| Outside dairy ingredients purchased | 100 | None |
| TOTAL SCORE | 1140 | FOUR COWS
(excellent) |