Our collection of six yogurt starter cultures differ on three dimensions: type, consistency and taste.

• Type: We have two main types of yogurt starter. Our four varieties of room temperature yogurt starters culture on the counter top without the need for a yogurt maker or other heating device.  Making homemade yogurt doesn’t get any easier than this!  Simply add the yogurt starter to cold milk, stir, cover with a towel and allow the yogurt starter mixture to culture on the counter for 12-18 hours followed by 6 hours in the refridgerator to stop the culturing process.  Our room temperature yogurt starter varieties include Viili, Filmjolk (Fil Mjolk), Matsoni and Piima.  We also have a Traditional Greek and a Bulgarian yogurt starter which require heat to culture so they are best used with a yogurt maker or another heat source (i.e. crockpot, large dehydrator, etc.).
• Consistency: Three of our room temperature yogurt starter cultures produce thick creamy yogurt: Viili, Filmjolk  and Matsoni.  While all three varieties of yogurt starter are similar to European-style yogurt brands you find in the grocery store, there are some small differences among the yogurt starter (please note: we strongly recommend using whole milk with our yogurt starter cultures; low fat milk will yield a more thin yogurt).  Our Viili yogurt starter produces the thickest homemade yogurt as it has a slightly gelatinous texture.  It ‘plops’ out of the spoon.  Our Fil Mjolk (filmjolk) yogurt starter produces homemade yogurt that isn’t quite as thick as the Viili but still quite suitable for eating with a spoon.  Our Matsoni yogurt starter is thick but more viscous.  It is also appropriate for eating with a spoon or for making smoothies.  Our Piima yogurt starter is much more thin than the other three room temperature yogurt starter cultures.  While technically a yogurt (cultured with bacteria), Piima yogurt starter produces more of a cultured beverage.  It is most appropriate for adding beneficial bacteria to pasteurized milk or for using in smoothies.  We recommend culturing our Traditional Greek yogurt starter in one part cream and three parts whole milk for the thickest most decadent Greek yogurt.  You can culture our Greek yogurt starter in just whole milk or even low fat milk but the finished yogurt won’t be nearly as thick.  Our Bulgarian yogurt starter also makes a thick and cream yogurt when cultured with whole milk and/or cream.
• Taste: Our Viili yogurt starter is our most mild yogurt starter and the most popular choice among our customers switching their family off of commercial yogurt.  Our Filmjolk yogurt starter is a bit more tart than our Viili yogurt starter but is still mild and has more of a buttermilk taste.  Our Matsoni yogurt starter is the most tart of all of our yogurt starter cultures.