Interest And Innovation In Cottage Cheese Continues To Flourish
Cottage cheese, long confined to lonely corners of the salad bar or hidden between layers of lasagna noodles, over recent years has emerged a social media star thanks to its viral success on social media platforms. And while TikTok’s future remains uncertain, experts aren’t questioning the future of this cultured staple that has starred in recipe videos ranging from protein breakfast bowls to a pizza topping to frozen desserts.
“There’s a mindset of, ‘What can we use cottage cheese for as an ingredient?’ It’s high in protein, low in fat, and can be used instead of Ricotta or as a cream. Also, the flavor of cottage cheese is so mild that people could use it with sweet or savory,” says Carmen Licon, director of the Pacific Coast Coalition-Dairy Business Innovation Initiative (PCC-DBII) as well as director of the Dairy Products Technology Center at Cal Poly.
“Cottage cheese is really regaining popularity,” she adds. “It’s been on shelves forever, a stable product, not necessarily growing. But I believe it’s because we didn’t have uses for it except for eating it as is. Application is very important, especially now as consumers are more aware of what they eat. Cottage cheese is a good source of protein, very digestible and is in a good spot to fulfill those desires from consumers.”
Licon adds that with more people using GLP-1 blockers such as Ozempic and other medications to combat diabetes and promote weight loss, high-protein foods are more important than ever. Users of these drugs have to pay attention to the protein they consume and where it comes from, putting cottage cheese in an ideal position for continued marketing and consumer education.
“I think as long as high-protein products are a big thing, the cottage cheese trend is going to stay,” she says. “We don’t have a lot of alternatives for high-protein products that are natural. Consumers really want a clean label, and cottage cheese — and dairy in general — is in a very good place to offer a clean label and very good source of protein.”
The Cultural Influence Behind Cottage Cheese Popularity
Good Culture, whose clean-label cottage cheese and other cultured dairy products have been in the dairy aisle since 2015, was at the center of the cottage cheese trend when it took off on social media.
The company started when co-founder and CEO Jesse Merrill saw an opportunity to breathe new life into the cottage cheese category, which he considered an overlooked superfood with more protein and less sugar than Greek yogurt. Merrill set out to create products that were nutritious, tasty and responsibly sourced, and that appealed to younger consumers looking for real food with simple ingredients. The clean-label-first approach and Good Culture’s commitment to sustainability and animal welfare resonated especially well with millennials and Gen Z consumers. Then the product went viral.
Influencers And Viral Recipes Drive Consumer Interest
“In 2023, TikTokers began obsessively touting a love for cottage cheese, with Good Culture being featured in a disproportionate amount of the content,” Merrill says. “Younger consumers started sharing fun recipes like cottage cheese ice cream, pancakes, eggs, mustard dip combos, flatbreads, smoothies and more. As influencers, tastemakers and consumers shared their recipes featuring Good Culture on TikTok, the creativity seemed endless, increasing the popularity even more.
Not only is cottage cheese a versatile ingredient for recipes, but it also is a high-protein, low-sugar, nutrient-dense snack that can be consumed straight from the cup or tub.”
Social Media And The Growing Demand For Cottage Cheese
Merrill notes the TikTok trend has remained steady, and recipes surrounding cottage cheese continue to grow. Last summer, Good Culture launched its campaign, “The Obsession is Real,” to capture the cultural moment cottage cheese has been having. Recently as part of this campaign, the company sent branded merchandise to influencers who already love Good Culture, further strengthening those relationships. Good Culture continues to keep an eye on social media to spot fans of the brand and send its products to help them experiment with new and creative recipes.
“When it comes to influencers, we’ve been intentional about partnering with those who are authentic fans of Good Culture,” Merrill says. “These partnerships focus on creating fun, inspiring recipe content while also amplifying our own efforts. Beyond the few partnerships that we’ve done, the majority of our social media buzz has been completely organic, and some of the biggest food influencers love and use Good Culture in their recipes, which get shared with their millions of followers. It’s been super fun to discover which big influencers are using Good Culture in super creative and delicious ways.”
Market Growth Shows No Signs of Slowing
Even before the TikTok trend, cottage cheese has been gaining popularity over the last decade. According to HP Hood, which has been manufacturing cottage cheese since the late 1960s and is the category leader in New England, its cottage cheese volume grew 20.9% from 2012-2019, and another 24.9% from 2019-2024 (source: Circana Syndicated Data). Overall from 2012-2024, the company has seen 51.1% growth in its cottage cheese volume.
Chris Ross, senior vice president of marketing and research and development at HP Hood, notes that the growing interest in cottage cheese isn’t the result of anything that has changed about the product over the years, but rather due to its unique offering and versatility that has sparked the interest of social media influencers and others.
“Hood Cottage Cheese is a superior product — perfectly blended, rich and creamy, and packed with protein,” he says. “While social media has certainly sparked new interest in the category, the longer-term growth is driven by the same reasons that consumers have sought out cottage cheese: high-protein, lower-calorie foods that can provide solutions for a healthier eating routine.”
Innovation Brings New Opportunities
There have been a number of new introductions in the cottage cheese category, from convenient single-serve packaging to innovative flavors. Hood’s cottage cheese portfolio includes 27 SKUs across four sizes and 13 flavors, including real fruit and savory herbs. Good Culture launched its first limited-edition flavor — Pumpkin & Spice — in fall 2024, and offers other flavors and milkfats, as well as lactose-free and organic varieties of its cottage cheese.
Original varieties, however, continue to be household favorites. Good Culture’s best-selling varieties are its Simply 2% Low-Fat and its Organic 4% cottage cheeses. Ross notes that for Hood, while single-serve SKUs are seeing the highest growth percentage, the main driver of cottage cheese volume growth is in 16-ounce and 24-ounce varieties.
“The convenience of single-serve containers can drive new consumer interest, but it is still a multi-serve play providing product value for the entire household,” Ross says, adding that Hood always is looking at future innovation opportunities.
Licon, in her current and previous roles as a researcher, professor and consultant on product development, has worked on new product innovations such as cottage cheese-based frozen desserts. One team of students from Fresno State University that she worked with won second place in the 2023 New Product Competition hosted by Dairy Management Inc. for “Cottage Core,” a high-protein premium cottage cheese-based frozen dessert with cherry cheesecake flavoring.
Additionally, Licon notes last semester for an in-school competition, a group of students at Cal Poly developed a flatbread using cottage cheese as more than 60% of the ingredient composition.
“It was absolutely amazing. That gives a very good idea of potential applications that can be explored. It could be ice cream bars, but made out of cottage cheese — that’s another opportunity I see that hasn’t been developed. I think the market will be there, but it’s a matter of someone willing to invest in new, innovative products,” Licon says.
“This topic is exciting. I love to see new products and how people get crazy about the next thing coming out,” she adds. “Greek yogurt became so popular, and that trend stayed. I hope it will be the same with cottage cheese.”
Scaling Production To Meet Demand
There is great potential for ongoing growth in the cottage cheese sector, both from increased consumption and new innovative products, but capacity will be a challenge, Licon notes.
“There may be companies wanting to invest in cottage cheese, or to use it as an ingredient, but there’s not a lot of supply right now. There’s a lot of co-label or private label,” she says.
Tetra Pak’s Role In Cottage Cheese Production
Tetra Pak provides equipment for cottage cheese processing, along with other services such as general market observations and trends, treatment options for milk before it enters the vats, and efficient whey management to handle byproduct after the cottage cheese is made.
Tetra Pak’s sales support specialist and cheese expert Kinga Janowska, who helps identify needs and solutions for customers around the globe, notes that lactose-free options are trending, especially in Asian markets, and worldwide the majority of trends center on the high protein content of cottage cheese.
“It’s no longer used as a standalone product, but also used as an ingredient for making other products,” she says. “That’s keeping us, Tetra Pak, in the position to support customers with growing interest in cottage cheese production.”
Novonesis Sees Growth Opportunities
Global biosolutions provider Novonesis also has seen great potential for cottage cheese growth in the United States and abroad.
“In the context of the U.S. dairy market’s global influence, exemplified by the rise of Greek yogurt, the burgeoning demand for cottage cheese could serve as a pivotal point for U.S. dairies seeking expansion beyond domestic borders,” says Gary Pieper, technical sales manager, Novonesis. “However, there remains substantial growth potential within the domestic market, particularly if producers can introduce more snacking varieties to cater to evolving consumer preferences.”
Advancing Production With Closed-Vat Solutions
Tetra Pak handles requests from some of the largest cottage cheese producers to smaller companies looking to increase production. When companies are looking to improve and increase production of cottage cheese, Janowska says Tetra Pak’s closed-vat solution can help overcome a number of challenges
“A lot of companies still use the traditional approach of open tables and are looking for a solution. When they have demands to increase production, they ask how they can keep the hygienic aspect of it and prevent risk of contamination that can jeopardize production,” she says.
Automation And AI In Cottage Cheese Processing
In addition to automating processes in the closed-vat solution, Tetra Pak also helps customers capture data on their processes, using artificial intelligence and digital products to help increase food safety, use fewer resources and boost competitiveness and production.
Throughout the process, she says the closed vats help to maintain the highest levels of hygiene, from reducing contamination during the cheesemaking process all the way through the CIP (clean-in-place) procedures, all done in a closed and monitored environment.
“The last few months, we’ve been approached by cottage cheese producers that want to bring it to another level. Some from the people side of it, to limit the number of operators,” Janowska says. “Our closed cheese vat requires less people to operate. The most intensive part, making the cut, is fully automated. There’s no need to keep people involved in that, and the more people, the more potential for human risk. What we’re trying to achieve is having the product be consistent, a product that tastes the same every day.”
Novonesis’ Innovations In Cottage Cheese Cultures
Also providing solutions to improve cottage cheese processes, Novonesis offers robust starter cultures tailored for both traditional and modern cottage cheesemaking, as well as a wide range of coagulants and bioprotective cultures to enhance product freshness, reduce waste and protect brands.
“With increased production by producers, the need for reliable cultures has become more crucial than ever to avoid inconsistent products, high phage pressure and consumer complaints,” Pieper says.
He adds that for more than two decades, Novonesis has been at the forefront of selecting strains and creating blends specifically designed for use in cottage cheese production, and has led advancements in strain selection, direct inoculation and optimization of performance in curd production.
Enhancing Freshness And Shelf Life
In recent years, the company has introduced the FRESCO 3000 series, which helps processors to consistently maximize the potential of their milk. Additionally, Novonesis continues to innovate its bioprotective cultures, with the availability of FreshQ Cheese 5, allowing customers to extend product freshness without compromising post acidification or flavor. Novonesis also has taken early steps in selecting Bio-Safe cultures, which naturally inhibit the growth of yeast and mold, providing an alternative to preserving agents such as potassium sorbate.
“As a high-value product, cottage cheese’s visual, textural and flavor attributes all contribute to customer satisfaction, presenting opportunities for both maintaining current business and capturing new markets. By focusing on freshness and clean fermented dairy flavor, the industry can cater to the loyalty of cottage cheese consumers while exploring untapped potential in flavor combinations, similar to the impact of peppers on the natural cheese industry,” Pieper explains.
“Though the spark for cottage cheese came from social media, it is here to stay for its ability to meet consumers’ needs for nutrition, high protein and convenience, making it an attractive option for health-conscious consumers seeking convenient and nutritious food choices,” he adds.
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Source: Cheese Market News