Company
The first products launched were yogurt and goat’s cheese. In 2002 ice cream was added to the product portfolio which necessitated an investment into new refrigeration plants and machinery, and new refrigeration vehicles. Yao has established into the premier dairy manufacturer in the region. Fruit juices are also manufactured to supply a multivitamin juice using the same pulp that is used in sorbets.
The Cool Chain
The first products launched were yogurt and goat’s cheese. In 2002 ice cream was added to the product portfolio which necessitated an investment into new refrigeration plants and machinery, and new refrigeration vehicles. Yao has established into the premier dairy manufacturer in the region. Fruit juices are also manufactured to supply a multivitamin juice using the same pulp that is used in sorbets.
yogurt – needs to be between 4 - 6°C to ensure compliance
Ice cream - needs to be at around -20° C to ensure compliance.
The Products
To develop such a great range of dairy products Phillippe and Antoine have spent many, many years and months testing, retesting, and perfecting their products - not only for taste but also for safety. There team is also trained on how to test and guarantee the products on an ongoing basis.
The Ice Cream
For many people the obvious concern in such a hot climate is whether there may be issues with salmonella – but not so for Yao as there are no eggs included in the recipe – it is simply a blend of milk, fat, sugar and fruit depending on the flavour.
For many years eating yogurt has been associated with good health. The creamy dairy food has long been a staple of Mediterranean, Indian and French diets. In fact, according to Mireille Guilliano, author of the best selling- French Women Don’t Get Fat, yogurt is one of the French secrets to weight control. No wonder we love it, in all its forms. Yogurt is portable, convenient, nutritious, and delicious, and works for breakfast, dessert or snack.
Health professionals have long advocated dairy products and other calcium rich foods or helping to keep teeth strong and preventing osteoporosis. And over the past few years, several studies have shown that eating low fat dairy may enhance weight loss as well.
Yogurt is an excellent source of calcium, protein and B vitamins,, but its health benefits go beyond that, experts say. “It is a wonderful food that helps the immune system and overall health.” Says Tufts University researcher Miriam Nelson, PhD.
Eating yogurt with live cultures adds “good bacteria” to your intestinal tract, and promotes a healthy environment to help fight off “bad” bacteria. People taking antibiotics can benefit from eating fermented foods like yogurt, which helps replace the friendly bacteria that get wiped our by the drugs, Nelson says.
“I would recommend organic yogurts, ..... “Nelson says, “because while some products indicate live cultures, there may be only a few, whereas organic variety tends to have the highest percentage of good bacteria.”
Yogurt has another benefit. The live cultures that are used to make yogurt are helpful in breaking down lactose (milk sugar) and make it easier to digest – even for people who are lactose-sensitive. And those looking to get more soy products in their diets can find an easy solution with soy yogurt. It has virtually no fat and plenty of soy protein, which research has shown my help lower cholesterol levels. However, soy yogurt contains less calcium, protein, and B vitamins that yogurt made with milk.
Ways to Add more Yogurt to you Diet
One of the easiest and healthiest ways to enjoy yogurt, as a nourishing snack or mini-meal, is to toss chopped fresh fruit into plain yogurt or add a little honey and wheat germ. You can eat yogurt for breakfast, straight out of the carton, topped with fruit and/or cereal, or as a topping for pancakes or waffles. Blended with fresh fruit and ice, it becomes a smoothie – a quick and portable breakfast or snack. Or satisfy your sweet tooth with frozen yogurt (or a frozen container of regular yogurt). You’ll get half the calories of premium ice cream and none of the fat. Yogurt is also a versatile ingredient for recipes ranging from appetizers to desserts. When recipes call for cream, sour cream, or mayonnaise, low fat plain yogurt can easily stand in for part or all of the higher- fat ingredients.
Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, the “recipe doctor” for the Web MD Weight loss clinic, advise using yogurt in cool dishes such as cold soups, salad dressings and dips, or as a creamy dessert topping.
Since yogurt separates when heated , its trickier using it in hot dishes. But it can be done. Try mixing a little cornstarch into the yogurt into the yogurt, then stirring into your hot dish as the end of your cooking period. Magee often uses yogurt to lower the fat content of her baked goods. “ Yogurt is a great substitute for oil or butter in cakes and muffins because it adds moisture, volume and flavour without added fat or calories, “ she says. Yogurt’s acid content means it also works well as a marinade to help tenderize meats.
Ice Cream Needs Fat!
All ice cream needs fat to make it set – at Yao we use vegetable fat (a refined and deoderised fat blend of palm oils) in our recipe and it is only about 9 to 10% of the of the mix so it is naturally low fat. We believe in using natural ingredients only rather than chemically altered ones, so that our products are ‘healthier naturally’.
Sugar gives ice cream its texture!
It’s the right balance of fructose, dextrose and glucose that helps give it the texture. Only when the balance is correct will the ice cream will be neither too soft nor too hard.
Yao is homemade ice cream!
What’s the difference – well at Yao we make all the flavours in batches, then move onto another flavour. With larger manufactures they are consistently making the same flavour which leads to more air in the product, and the flavour is therefore not as saturated throughout the product.
The Process
The process must be scheduled properly with strict attention paid to sanitation.
Upon entering the facilities you are required to don plastic shoes or booties which prevent dirt and bacteria from entering the area.
The processing room, which appears immaculately clean, permeates an aroma of fresh warm milk. There are two holding tanks and a water sanitising tap The first tank is used to recombine the milk. Ultra violet sterilised water is added to the powdered milk to preserve the best taste possible.
Since milk is the most vital part of the production it is imperative that the milk be treated to remove unsafe bacteria. Once the milk has been recombined it is transferred to the other tank where it is further pasteurised. The process is very delicate, as the correct temperatures must be attained in heating and cooling the product. 26% fat milk is used to make the yogurt.
Continued Development
At Yao we continue to develop new flavours and new products. Recently we have taken over a year to develop a fruit multi- vitamin juice using “MALTISORB” as a sub statue for sugar. Using the pulp from the fruit we have developed a juice, and a diet version that tastes fantastic. We do one off and special orders for hotels, restaurants and private contracts. No matter how small we can develop a flavour or packaging as a limited edition for your yacht, hotel or simply an anniversary.
