The Lifeway story begins in 1986, when Russian immigrants Michael and Ludmila Smolyansky began making Kefir in the basement of their Skokie, IL home. The cultured dairy drink had been popular in Eastern Europe for centuries, but the Smolyansky family was determined to share their delicious health secret with their newfound home. Two years later, they took the company public and it debuted on the NASDAQ exchange under the ticker symbol LWAY. Since its humble basement beginnings many years ago, Lifeway Foods has now grown into the largest manufacturer of Kefir in the United States and has brought the delicious taste and probiotic health benefits of Kefir to a whole new generation.