The Lifeway story began in 1986, when Russian immigrant Michael Smolyansky began making Kefir in his Chicago-area basement. The cultured dairy drink had been popular in Eastern Europe for centuries, but Smolyansky was determined to share his delicious health secret with his newfound home. Two years later, Michael took the company public and it debuted on the NASDAQ exchange.

Since that day 25 years ago when Michael began making Kefir, Lifeway Foods has grown into the largest manufacturer of Kefir in the United States, bringing the delicious taste and probiotic health benefits of Kefir to a whole new generation. Lifeway has also acquired top competitors Helios Nutrition and Fresh Made Dairy. 

And there’s a new generation running the company, too. In 2002, Michael Smolyansky’s children took the helm of Lifeway Foods, with daughter Julie assuming the roles of President and CEO, and son Edward becoming Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer.

Now Lifeway has added even more flavors and varieties, including Lowfat Kefir, Organic Kefir, and the ProBugs line of Organic Whole Milk Kefir for Kids. Julie and Ed commemorated Lifeway’s 25th Anniversary in 2011 by ringing the NASDAQ bell. 

Lifeway has also innovated several new ideas in the dairy products industry, founding Starfruit Café, a cosmically delicious chain of frozen kefir cafés, in 2008; and introducing breakthrough products such as Green Kefir with Phytoboost (Kefir mixed with an exclusive blend of health-promoting phytonutrients), BioKefir™ (super-powered Kefir shots with 20 billion CFUs of probiotics per serving), and Frozen Kefir (a tart and creamy dessert with just 90-calories per serving, and the first-ever Kefir product to hit the freezer aisle). 

After more than a quarter-century of dedication and innovation, the Lifeway family looks forward to building on our tradition of healthy and delicious living for many years to come.