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About Gero

Imagine...........a place where people live the good life and are healthy and strong, often even at the golden age of 120!

........The place is Abkhasia, a region lying between the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea where yoghurt is an important part of the daily diet. The Abkhasians attribute their long life and longevity to their daily intake of the yoghurt they have been manufacturing in the traditional way for centuries. The unique cultures used for the manufacture of our Gero yoghurt, originated here. Gero yoghurt has all the ingredients beneficial to your body, as well as a rich round creamy flavour. It is fat free, sugar free and has a low G.I. It is extremely suitable for the health concious consumers, dieters and those who suffer from diabetes.

In recent years the South African Dairy Industry has experienced a boom in the consumer market for cultured milk products. The reason is that the quality and variety of the products have improved dramatically. Consumers are also better informed regarding the dietary value, health benefits and convenience of these products - what could be more healthy and convenient than taking a tub of yoghurt, or a bottle of drinking yoghurt to the office in your briefcase?

Cultured milk products are made from fresh pasteurised milk and fermented with selected lactic acid bacteria in order to give the product its characteristic features, among which are the typical consistency and flavour.Various lactic acid bacterial cultures are used to produce different types of cultured dairy products, such as yoghurt, drinking yoghurt, maas, cultured buttermilk and kefir, each with its own specific taste, consistency and characteristics.Nowadays there are a variety of cultured milk products to satisfy the sophisticated taste of the informed consumer. Yoghurt is certainly the best known and, by far, the most popular fermented milk product and is available as full cream, low fat, fat free, unflavoured, flavoured and fruit yoghurt.

It is common knowledge that we are what we eat, and that a healthy body is needed to house a sound mind. Milk and milk products contribute substantially to a well-nourished body, because milk is probably the most perfect food known to man. Cultured dairy products contain all the essential nutrients that the human body requires and are easily digestible due to the fermentation of lactose (milk sugar). Apart from its nutritional value, yoghurt has additional health benefits for the consumer, such as its ability to restore the natural balance of the intestinal flora after using antibiotics, for example. The presence of live friendly yoghurt bacteria in the intestine prevents the colonisation of harmful or pathogenic bacteria, suppresses undesirable micro-organisms, increases the absorption of nutrients by the body and assists general digestion.

The brand name of the yoghurt containing the unique Abkhasian culture is GERO, which is derived from the term gerontology, which refers to the study of the process and problems of ageing.

In Abkhasia, situated between the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, in the former Soviet Union, the people generally live to an old age. To attain the age of a 100 is no exception, but what is even more remarkable is the amazingly good health and physical strength of these elderly people, enabling them to live a full, happy life, which includes a day's work in the fields.

Researchers were determined to discover the Abkhasians' secret. Ukrainian and American physiologists, gerontologists, microbiologists and anthropologists went to Abkhasia during 1978 - 1981 to establish the reason for the longevity of the local people. It was not easy to ascertain the exact age and state of health of the old people, as they naturally tended to boast about both. The researchers found a significant difference in the "Abkhasians" diet, namely the fact that they consume a traditional, locally manufactured yoghurt every day, and it appears to contribute to the secret of their longevity and excellent health. This traditional yoghurt is made from a unique culture of lactic acid bacteria, and the presence of these bacteria in the digestive system of the elderly Abkhasians was so high that it weakened and destroyed other pathogenic organisms in the gut that may cause disease. The Ukrainian Research Institute in Kiev isolated these lactic acid bacteria and developed a special culture called "Abkhasian culture".

The unbundling of the USSR in 1992 led to improved communication with the Western World and soon a Danish company obtained the rights to use the "Abkhasian culture" to develop a new product. The Danes tested the consumer market and found that consumers liked it and decided to do further research regarding its health benefits. The results were overwhelming: it was found to reduce blood pressure and also the blood-sugar level of diabetics; to relieve headaches and supplement the intestinal flora extremely well; to induce a feeling of physical well-being and increase the capacity for work; and finally, to reduce blood cholesterol levels. Gero is the only yoghurt made in South Africa with the Abkhasian culture.

Although most commercially-produced yoghurts are beneficial to health, the rare culture found in Abkhasia has special properties and bacteria. These beneficial micro-organisms inhibit enteropathogenic or "bad" organisms in the gastrointestinal tract. According to these studies, the yoghurt is said to reduce serum cholesterol and blood sugar levels when taken regularly, and it has significant nutritional value and anti-oxidant properties.

No wonder then that the Danish company, MD Foods, raced to secure rights to the culture.

Clinical tests conducted in Denmark at the Aarhus County Hospital also confirmed that yoghurt manufactured with Abkhasian cultures, had health benefits. The yoghurt is marketed in Denmark under the trade name of "Gaio", which points to the part it plays in balancing the metabolism.

A South African manufacturer of dairy products, Dairy Gold SA (Pty) Ltd, has obtained the rights to manufacture this yoghurt under licence. Market research showed that it was as well received here, as in Denmark. The product was launched in March 1995 on a national scale. Considering that South Africa has the highest incidence of coronary heart disease in the world, the product holds potentially great benefits for the country's consumers, as it plays a definite role in reducing blood cholesterol.

A further aspect to consider is the high incidence of child mortality caused by diarrhoea - the product can play a significant role the symptoms of undesirable pathogenic organisms. Gero is a natural product and can play an important role to ensure a balanced daily diet and, thus, contribute to a general state of health of its consumers.

Gero is manufactured on a franchise base by various dairies in South Africa. Dairy Gold SA (Pty) Ltd is the licence holder for South Africa and can be contacted on : dairy@icon.co.za

Manufacturers of Gero:
Dewfresh (Pty) Ltd: 011 7367738
Darling Creamery: 022 4922206
Moorddrift Dairy: 0154 919400
Orange Grove Dairies : 034 2121144