Califia Farms

Just in time for the Natural Products Expo West 2018, Califia Farms is introducing what might be their most ambitious nut milk based product to date: Yogurt Drinks.

Announced in late February, Califia’s Yogurt Drinks lineup feature the company’s proprietary “Califia Culture Blend” (in place of traditional dairy-based yogurt) and will include four varieties: Unsweetened Plain, Mango, Super Berry, and Strawberry. All four of the products will be available in both a 25.4 oz. multiserve (which is what we tested for this review) and single serve 8 oz. bottles.

While the Unsweetened Plain tastes a bit sour and is likely better off used as an ingredient in a smoothie rather than consumed straight, the three flavored offerings are really outstanding. Plus, there’s truly no compromise in flavor, consistency, or body in comparison to a traditional dairy-based yogurt drink. From our perspective, that’s the bullseye when it comes to any dairy alternative product.

Taking a look at the three flavored offerings, the level of execution is consistent across the board.. All of the products, including the Plain Unsweetened variety, start off with a base of almond milk, Califia Culture Blend, coconut cream, oat fiber, sea salt, and added stabilizers.

For the three flavored varieties, fruit puree, sugar, and natural flavors are also added. Which flavor is best is a matter of personal preference, with the strawberry, blueberry, and mango all tasting like what you’d get from a similarly flavored cup of yogurt. Nutritionally, each 8 oz. serving has 150 calories, 3g of fiber, 3g of protein, 16g of sugar, 9g of fat, and 10 billion CFUs of probiotics. This is something that’s slightly different than a dairy-based yogurt or yogurt drink, which tend to be higher in protein (as well as calories).

While we haven’t yet gotten our hands on the single serve version of this product, the multiserve packaging follows the same format as the rest of the Califia line. It’s pretty straightforward and intuitive, which is always something that we appreciate in package design. They’ve done a nice job of presenting the product as a yogurt sibling, which makes it easy to quickly grasp the copy on the label.

If there’s any constructive feedback on it, it’s that it might be hard to quickly spot this amongst all of the other similarly designed Califia SKUs (of which there are many). But this is a very minor point for what is a very polished-looking product.

Overall, we think that Califia Farms has done a tremendous job with this product. It’s timely, innovative, extends the breadth of their lineup, and, most importantly, it’s really tasty stuff.

With multiple product launches already in 2017, Califia Farms is a company that has been on a seemingly never-ending cycle of innovation. One of those new offerings is the company’s first USDA Organic nut milks, which they’ve called “Homestyle.”

Available in three multi-serve varieties, Cashew, Almond, and Coconut, the products are made with a very simple list of ingredients that includes water, macadamia, almonds, oat bran, and sea salt. In addition, the Coconut variety contains coconut cream and the Cashew variety contains cashews. There are no added flavorings, sweeteners, or stabilizers or gums.

The only noticeable side effect of the lack of gums and stabilizers is that there’s more separation and, therefore, more shaking required. From our perspective, this is honestly a welcome change of pace and something that gives off a more wholesome vibe.

The result of this clean formulation is a set of flavors that are really clean and straightforward. Each flavor tastes like its featured ingredient, while a light note of macadamia and a subtle saltiness to the finish round it out. Still, our favorites were definitely the Almond and Cashew varieties, which have a bit more of an intense nut flavor. The Coconut variety is, however, also quite good and they’ve put just the right amount of coconut cream in to tease and not overwhelm the palate.

On the outside, these products are packaged in a 25.4 oz. multi-serve bottle that’s fully wrapped. It follows the same format as the rest of the Califia family, but with the word “Organic” prominently placed and a USDA Organic seal on the lower right. “Homestyle” is definitely the right word for this product and they’ve done a great job of connecting that back to the fact that the product is organic through the copy on the back, which starts with “Organic Goes Homestyle.” If there’s any potential negative for this approach, it’s that it shows off a slightly superior version of what they sell as their flagship product.

Overall, we’re really excited to see Califia Farms enter into the organic dairy alternative space. They’ve come out of the gate with three really well-executed products and we’re excited to see what they come up with next.

In this review, we’re taking a look at Califia Farms’ three most recent non-coffee offerings: Cali Coco, Ginger Almond Milk, and Matcha Almond Milk. Launched at Expo West 2016, these products are hands down their best flavors yet.

Let’s start with the Matcha Almondmilk. This flavor is a blend of matcha and almond milk, which they’ve sweetened with maple syrup. Rather than going for a super intense matcha flavor, they’ve gone for super smooth -- and they’ve definitely succeeded. There’s a really nice almond flavor to the product, complemented by the slightly grassy matcha. While this is not a replacement for a pure matcha tea, it’s a fine, lighter alternative.

Next, there’s the Ginger Almondmilk, which is also flavored with turmeric and features coconut cream. It’s spicy and complex, with a really fresh note of ginger hitting your tongue almost immediately. They did not skimp on this ingredient, which is a huge plus for anyone who is a ginger fan. The added turmeric and coconut cream are also components of what you taste, but they are really more like secondary flavors. This results in a  layered flavor with the smooth and nutty flavor of almond milk arriving at the end.

Finally, there’s Cali Coco. Unlike the other flavors, which are all almond milk based, this one is a coconut based product. There are only three ingredients: coconut water, coconut cream, and young coconut meat. The resulting product has a really strong coconut flavor, but still maintains a light body. They’ve done a superb job with the formulation of this product, but we wonder if it’s a bit out of place as part of an almond milk line. We say that because it’s both coconut based and a smoothie with higher fat (10g) and calories (150) than the other varieties.

Branding and positioning of these products is very much in line with the other packages that we’ve seen from Califia Farms. They’re packaged in 10.5 oz., fully wrapped plastic bottles and require refrigeration. From an aesthetic perspective, they are clean and easy to read, although there are certain small issues that could be fine-tuned.. Specifically, the disconnect between the ginger and turmeric callouts on the Ginger Almondmilk and the handling of the lack of almond milk on the Cali Coco.

All in all, these are, despite some room for minor tweaks, top notch offerings from Califia Farms. They provide a very nice contrast to their core line, which is very much focused on mainstream flavors, and it’s nice to see them flex their muscles with some more complex and on-trend offerings.