EkoNiva Group, Russia’s largest dairy holding, has diversified its drinking milk lineup with a 2.5% fat lactose‑free UHT milk. At first, the product will be available exclusively as part of the EKONIVA Professional Line range. It will be supplied to hotels, restaurants and cafés (HoReCa), METRO wholesaler and Perekryostok retail chain, particularly Select cafés. Plans are afoot to further expand the sales channels.

EKONIVA Professional Line lactose‑free milk is based on a carefully crafted recipe which has passed rigorous testing to meet the needs of coffee lovers opting for this product for their cappuccinos, lattes and other milk‑based coffee drinks. EkoNiva’s specialists conducted blind tastings and collaborated with baristas, coffee machine manufacturers and industry experts to create a product that perfectly complements coffee with its smooth creamy flavour. As with regular Professional Line items, the lactose‑free milk with high protein content – a minimum of 3.4 g per 100 g of milk – is easily whipped into a thick stable foam, which is crucial for professional use. Lactose‑free milk is produced by the breakdown of lactose, a disaccharide found in milk, into simpler sugars, glucose and galactose. These are sweeter than lactose and enhance the product’s natural sweetness. During the UHT processing, these sugars can react with milk proteins, leading to the Maillard reaction and causing the product to appear a bit darker than regular milk. The product’s slightly sweeter taste may encourage consumers to reduce the amount of sugar they put in their coffee.

The lactose‑free milk is made using raw milk sourced from the Group’s farms and processed at the plant in Kaluga oblast. Stringent quality control based on the ‘from field to shop shelf’ principle is adhered to at every stage of the production process. The finished product is available in 1L packaging, which facilitates efficient planning and inventory management for coffee shops and other businesses.

‘The EKONIVA product portfolio now includes an extensive range of drinking milk, including pasteurised, ultra‑heat‑treated, whole, baked, organic and lactose‑free varieties. Customers have options with different fat content to choose from, these can be consumed as is or used in various culinary creations. The in‑house R&D department did their best to come up with the perfect milk flavour to bring out the best in coffee beans, just without lactose this time. We are pleased with the results and look forward to receiving feedback from our partners and coffee lovers.’
Aleksey Maslennikov, Deputy Director General for Sales and Marketing at EkoNiva‑Food (part of the EkoNiva Group).