Launched onto the market in August 2015, Borgla's patented 'Kefirko' glass kefir-maker comes in two sizes (0.6 litres and 1.4 litres) and can be bought online or through distributors, worldwide. Last year, it launched an accompanying cheese-maker for kefir cream cheese and whey. Borgla sells organic freeze-dried milk kefir grains and dehydrated water kefir grains to use with the at-home fermenting systems.
Renowned for its live probiotic content, kefir is considered 99.9% lactose-free and is rich in protein, vitamin B and folic acid.
Urška Benčina, customer support and marketing manager for Borgla's Kefirko brand, said kefir has an extremely strong nutritional profile, especially fresh kefir.
“Sports nutrition is an area we are trying to sell into because we see great potential there,” Benčina told NutraIngredients.
“Kefir on its own is rich in probiotics, in proteins and also our second product – the cheese-maker – produces a side product of whey, and whey is very rich in proteins and it's a great supplement for sports,” she said.
Benčina said every 0.6 litres of milk kefir made can make 200-300g of cream cheese and around 300ml of whey, depending on the consistency and fat content.
“There's a mesh basket that you put onto the jar and then you pour in the kefir, close the lid and put it in the fridge. It strains slowly because the mesh is specially designed to keep the thicker kefir inside and only the whey pours down. The next day you have around 0.3 litres of whey from kefir. You can use that in many different ways – you can drink it on its own or use it in some kind of beverage like a smoothie or in afterwork drinks.”
'Homemade probiotics'
Asked why such as system might appeal, given the availability of ready-to-drink kefir, Benčina said these products are often made using concentrated kefir starter cultures, rather than live cultures.
“If you want to have the most effect from drinking kefir and the best probiotic value, it's best for it to be fresh, and to be fresh it's best to make it at home because you can control the whole process and ingredients and you can drink it right after it's made.”
Making kefir at home also works out cheaper in the long-run, she said, because the live grains can be re-used over and over again. “They're growing all the time and sooner or later you'll have too much of it, because you only need a certain amount for one batch of kefir.”
Borgla provides tips online to assist first-time kefir makers as there are “some challenges to kefir making”, she said. For example, you can over-ferment the product which ultimately damages the grains but you can also use too many grains or store them at the wrong temperature.
But, she said for the most part, customers are still extremely inventive with the Kefirko system – some have produced vegan kefir with nut and coconut milks, as well as kombucha, fermented vegetables and even sprouted grains.
Tradition returns...
Consumers are becoming more and more conscious about high-quality, healthy ingredients which has prompted many to delve into home fermentation, Benčina said. “Fermentation is very traditional but, as we now see, the traditional methods are coming back because we're focusing on making quality food and also making it our own, whilst reducing waste.”
Kefirko's biggest markets are France, Spain and Portugal and the company recently struck up a collaboration in the UK but hopes to stretch European presence further in the coming years, as well as eventually expand into the US, Benčina said.
The company will also look into developing other fermentation products, she said. “The fermentation field is very expansive - there are fermented vegetables, there is more to do with kombucha – so, we'll probably stay in this field.”