I’m a great fan of yoghurt.
Whether it’s yoghurt in a tub, or fro-yo in a cup, I simply can’t resist.
Now, I’m trying to eat yoghurt regularly for health reasons at the moment.
But here’s a problem: I realised a lot of the big yoghurt brands sold in supermarkets are full of sugar – lots and lots of unnecessary sugar. That’s not healthy at all!
The only sugar-free yoghurt we found in supermarkets was Greek yoghurt (not to be confused with Greek-styled yoghurt). But Greek yoghurt is quite an acquired taste. I found it difficult to consume it on its own. It’s incredibly sour, and the only way is to add other ingredients such as honey, muesli, etc.
Imagine just how pleasantly surprised I was to learn that someone’s making creamy, sugar-free yoghurt in Singapore!
The folks from Alvas Dairy Pte. Ltd., contacted me last week after reading my blog. They have been producing natural set yoghurt for almost 10 years.
It’s called: Alvas Yoghurt.
I was intrigued. I’ve not heard or seen this Alvas Yoghurt before. How is it that I’ve not seen it in supermarkets?
They went on to explain that their product is made “without preservatives, flavorings, sugar and we produce it everyday,” right here in Singapore!
Upon seeing that, I lit up with great excitement. I didn’t know we had a company freshly making yoghurt here in Singapore.
Best of all, this is a sugar-free yoghurt! A healthier option, for sure. But would it taste better than Greek yoghurt?
I accepted the free sample, a 500ml tub. (Disclaimer: I only received one 500ml tub, and nothing else – there is no commission or monetary compensation for this review.)
At first sight, I must say that the packaging isn’t very attractive nor is it very appealing (it even has grammatical errors on it at the back).
If I saw this on supermarket shelves, I wouldn’t give it a second look. Perhaps this is why I never noticed the Alvas brand in supermarkets at all.
Looks aside, the more important question is: how does it taste?
First, it is incredibly thick and creamy. It’s thicker and creamier than Greek yoghurt and several other brands of yoghurt I’ve tried.
Secondly, as a natural yoghurt, it was a little tart and sour, but thankfully not as sour as Greek yoghurt. After the first bite, the sourness faded away and I was able to taste the yoghurt’s natural sweetness.
The more I ate, the more my eyes opened with amazement: This is incredible yoghurt!
Creamy, thick, and tasty! These are the qualities that made me love it.
Knowing that it’s sugar-free, and that it has no preservatives or flavourings, simply blows my mind.
How is it possible that I get to enjoy something so guilty yet healthy? Wow… For once I get to eat my cake (or in this case, yoghurt) and have it too.
Some reviewers online mentioned that the secret to such guilty, yet healthy pleasures, has to do with the use of milk solids in the yoghurt. Sure, there is fat in the milk solids, but there’s much less fat (and sugar) compared to what many other brands of yoghurt are using.
It was such a joy eating this. I loved it so much, I finished the 500ml tub in 3 days!
I must admit that I had initially pre-judged the yoghurt based on its unappealing packaging. I didn’t have high hopes or expectations for it. (If there’s one thing that needs to be improved, it certainly is the packaging design.) But my negative perception of it disappeared upon tasting it.
I learnt that Alvas Yoghurt is currently only sold at all Sheng Siong supermarkets and at many small provision shops.
The 200ml cups can be found at all Sheng Siong supermarkets at the amazingly low price of SGD$1.20!
At this time of writing, the 500ml tubs cost SGD$2.80, while the 1L tubs cost SGD$5.40. This is still much cheaper than the other major brands which costs at least SGD$7 for 1kg of yoghurt (still less than 1L). But not all Sheng Siong supermarkets keep stock of these tubs.
The experience with Alvas Yoghurt has been so great, and it is so healthy and affordable, thatI decided to switch to Alvas Yoghurt for my daily yoghurt consumption.
Here’s a photo of my fridge:
I mentioned before that I love to support local businesses. Here is one local business whose products bring me so much joy, that it is my pleasure to support them with my wallet and my stomach!
Jonathan Y. H. Sim 