Gourmet News • Cheese Guide Spring 2020

Le Gruyère AOP Switzerland: Traceable to its Origin

I Siciliani Primosale with Pistachio

A Dutch Masterpiece Launches New Packaging

Buholzer Brothers Brand from Klondike Cheese

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contents 6

Cheese to Save the Farm, the Community, the Culture

KIMBERLY OSER Publisher

JULES DENTON-CARD Senior Associate Publisher

LORRIE BAUMANN Editorial Director

ANTHONY SOCCI Associate Publisher

JEANIE CATRON

Dreams 8 Hopes, and Cheesemaking on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

Associate Editor

YASMINE BROWN Art Director

JONATHAN SCHIEFFER Graphic Designer

10

The Farmer Takes a Wife, and the Cheese Stands Alone

SUSAN STEIN Customer Service Manager

MARCOS MORHAIM Senior Account Manager

TARA NEAL

12

Rogue River Blue First American Cheese Named World’s Best

14 Featured Products

Circulation Director

JAMIE GREEN Circulation Manager

The Cheese Guide is a product of Gourmet News, published by Oser Communications Group ©Copyright 2020. All rights reserved.

Reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher, is expressly prohibited.

Executive and editorial offices located at: 1877 N. Kolb Road • Tucson, AZ 85715 T 520.721.1300 • F 520.721.6300 www.osercommunicationsgroup.com

LEE M. OSER JR. Founder

OSER COMMUNICATIONS GROUP 4

The Cheese Guide

cheese save to

the farm • the community • the culture

BY LORRIE BAUMANN

Rynn and David Caputo opened their Caputo Brothers creamery in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, in 2011 because they wanted to bring real fermented mozzarella and ricotta cheeses to the American market. They’ve done that.

They continue to do that with award-winning Mozzarella, Fresh Ricotta, Vecchio – an aged ricotta, Provola, Provola Piccante and Siciliano cheeses that are made by fermenting milk and whey with lactobacillus cultures rather than by adding vinegar or citric acid to coagulate the proteins. “All of our cheeses go through a natural fermentation,” Rynn said. “Our ricotta is what ‘ricotta’ means in Italian – it’s re-cooked whey.”

A New Mission Now, though, the Caputos have embarked on another mission – to help save American dairy farmers by creating a business model that upends the price structure under which the dairy industry operates in favor of a structure that provides farmers with a living wage.

“Our goal is to try to incorporate as many dairy farms as possible while accomplishing our cheeses,” Rynn said.

The Caputos’ approach has been to collaborate with farmers in a partnership that’s a win for everybody – the farmers agree to produce a higher-quality milk than they’re selling on the conventional market, the Caputos agree to pay a higher price that provides the farmers with a living wage, and consumers get to enjoy authentic Italian cheeses made according to ancient traditions. That’s an idea that’s been at the heart of Caputo Brothers creamery ever since Rynn started negotiating with local dairy farmers for a milk supply to feed the creamery. The need for a dependable supply was particularly urgent after Murray’s Cheese picked up the Caputo Brothers cheeses just three months after Rynn and her husband had opened their business. Before that first hundred-pound order from Murray’s, they’d never sold more than a pound of cheese at a time. After Murray’s had placed the order, they had to ask, “‘Why did you buy our cheese?... We’ve been doing this for three months, and you’re Murray’s,’” Rynn recalls. “‘Our hope was that in 10 years, you’d return a phone call.’”

“And they said, ‘You’re the only one making fermented cheese curds.’ We had no clue that we were the only ones doing it. We just didn’t know,” she continued. “It just took off from there. It just went crazy.”

A New Approach to Dairy Pricing To get the milk she needed for the Caputo Brothers cheeses, Rynn

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approached local dairy farmers with a novel proposition – she didn’t want to pay them whatever they could get from their local creamery. She wanted to pay them enough to live on. “I’m not going to be milking anything at 4 a.m. 365 days a year, so if I want reliable dairy farmers, then I need to pay them a wage so that they can sustain their way of life. It’s not a philanthropy. It’s not a nonprofit that we’re running here,” she said.

There were farmers who refused to listen to any more of Rynn’s crazy talk. They said things like, “This is not how this is done. This is not how the dairy industry works,” according to Rynn. Her response, then and now, is that Caputo Brothers is trying to shift the paradigm around dairy pricing, to turn back the tide of hundreds of dairy cow dispersals happening around them over the last few years.

Each of those represents a farmer who’s called it quits because he just can’t afford to feed his herd on what he’s getting from his milk sales. As of October, 2019, there were 30,000 fewer cows in Pennsylvania than there had been a year before, and what’s happening in Pennsylvania is also happening in dairy-producing states around the country.

“Now we have farmers who say, ‘How do we get involved? How do we become a part of what you’re doing?’ because they see that it’s not a real good outlook here,” Rynn said. “If their kids want to stay on the farm, there’s not really a clear path forward for them.”

Part of her answer to farmers who want to sell to Caputo Brothers Creamery is that they need to start by obtaining their Animal Welfare Approved certification. That certification from A Greener World provides a marketing bump that helps Caputo Brothers Creamery command the price of its cheese from retailers as well as guaranteeing that the farmers cows are treated humanely. Milk sold to Caputo Brothers Creamery also has to be cleaner than the milk that the farmers sell to their local creamery. The certification from A Greener World involves a modest increase in the farmers’ costs, as does the requirement for cleaner milk, but those higher costs are factored into the higher price that the Caputos pays to its farmers. “It’s not me taking advantage of you. It’s not you taking advantage of the government or the land that you’re on,” Rynn said. “It’s: ‘Let’s actually do this in a way that just has a lot of good coming out of it.’”

Help from the State Caputo Brothers Creamery is getting some help from a $426,000 grant from the state of Pennsylvania through its Pennsylvania

Dairy Investment Program to expand the creamery’s aging cave and to remodel its restaurant into a visitors center and tasting room that will educate visitors about Caputo Brothers cheeses and the role of the dairy industry in Pennsylvania’s agriculture economy.

The grant is a boost that’s intended to help the Caputos replicate their business model around the region. The program was established in 2018 with $5 million in grants available for researching new technologies, products and best practices; marketing to new domestic and international markets and exploring new business opportunities to diversify farming operations and revenue streams; transitioning to organic production methods; and incorporating or expanding value-added dairy production, like the cheeses that come from Caputo Brothers Creamery. Another $5 million in funding was added to the grant program for 2019, and Caputo Brothers Creamery was one of 29 projects funded in 20 Pennsylvania counties to try and stabilize Pennsylvania’s dairy industry.

A Vision for the Future The Caputos have a vision in which a cluster of four or five farms could be served by a micro-creamery, like the one that they’re operating in Spring Grove, which would shorten the supply chain from farm to creamery. The creameries could specialize in particular cheeses and support each other, as the Italian cheesemakers from whom the Caputos learned their craft in Calabria. “There’s a reason that’s been so successful,” Rynn said.

She points out that in her region of the country, many of the dairy farmers belong to an Anabaptist religious tradition that includes the Amish and Mennonites.

These farmers frequently have large families, and they want their children to continue to practice an agrarian tradition that fits into their world view.

Rynn believes that her vision of micro-creameries supporting – and supported by – a handful of dairy farms around them could provide an opportunity for a next generation of children who grew up on dairy farms to stay in the industry while they also stay relevant to the economy around them. “They could continue to make an impact back to their families, but do it in a way that may be different from what they’d even thought of,” Rynn said. “That’s really what we’re trying to do.”

“We’ve been shouting from the rooftops that this is important; this is our time, if we’re not going to be putting fingers in the dam but are going to find ways around the dam,” she added. “It’s our responsibility as a community to figure this out, so that’s what we’re trying to do.”

The Cheese Guide

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HOPES DREAMS CHEESEMAKING on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

BY LORRIE BAUMANN

Jarred and Trisha Boyce fell in love and got married six years ago with the idea that they’d be dairy farmers together. There was just one problem – and it had a dollar sign in front of it.

Neither they nor anyone they knew could figure out how to make a living by raising cows and selling the milk. It wasn’t that they didn’t know what they were doing in a dairy – Trisha is a third-generation dairy farmer who’s lived on a farm and worked with cows her whole life; Jarred’s been working with cows ever since he was 15 years old. “We’d been milking cows our whole lives,” Jarred said.

The problem was – and is – the American dairy market. Americans just aren’t buying milk the way they used to – dairy consumption has been falling steadily for decades, and there’s no sign of a turnaround any time soon. “There’s really no future in the dairy industry – it’s kind of bleak,” Trisha said.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average American consumed about 28.7 gallons of milk in 1975. By 2018, the average American consumed just under 17 gallons of fluid milk. That declining demand combined with dairy farmers’ increasing efficiency has created a glut of milk on the American market, and the law of supply and demand has taken over – many dairy farmers today are selling their milk for less than it costs them to care for the cows that make it, which means that they’re losing money every time the milk truck from the co-op 8

The Cheese Guide

stops at their farm. “Farmers used to be able to make a living selling to a co-op and getting a fair price,” Jarred said. “These past few years have just wiped dairy farmers out.”

Farmers with small herds, like the Boyces, who are trying to remain dairy farmers and keep their herds small enough that their family can manage the farm work with minimal outside help have found only one way to avoid the crushing economics of this situation – if Americans won’t buy their milk in a form that can be poured over cold cereal or into a glass, the farmers will sell it to them in a form that consumers are willing to pay more for.

For some dairy farmers, that means making butter or ice cream; the Boyces bought Chapel’s Country Creamery in 2017 and are learning how to make cheese.

Making that plan work over the long term means that they have to make good cheese – cheese for which Americans will pay a premium price. To help them do that, the Boyces have enlisted veteran cheesemaker Kelly Harding, who was working at Chapel’s Country Creamery when the Boyces bought it, advice from the other cheesemakers and cheese experts who are members of the American Cheese Society and a little consumer expertise from their son Trace, who, at two years old, is already a bit of a cheese connoisseur – his favorites are the brie and blue cheeses that his parents make. “He’s our cheese expert. He knows what’s good,” Jarred said. “He’ll tell you if you

nailed it.”

Jarred manages the pastures and does most of the work in the barn and milking parlor, with a little help from Trace, who has his own little wheelbarrow. Jarred is also the operation’s mechanic, and he’s learning to make cheese as well. Trisha handles most of the business end of the operation, including the sales and marketing, when she’s not needed in the barn. They work 14- to 15-hour days, up at 4 a.m. and done for the day around 7 p.m., when it’s time for dinner, baths and bed.

When they bought the creamery in 2017, the couple launched their business by selling product that the previous owners had made. An existing arrangement with a cheesemaker in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, took care of the production on Chapel’s Cheddar.

After that transition period, the Boyces have settled into making cheese five days a week. “We haven’t really needed to go to evening shifts,” Jarred said. Recipes for the cheeses have been altered to suit the Boyces’ tastes, and last year’s purchase of a cheddar press has enabled them to bring their cheddar production under their own roof. They’re now making nine cheeses, although recipes are still being tweaked, and they’re planning to settle on five flagship cheeses once they have their recipes dialed in and their customers are able to express clear preferences.

They have dropped the previous owner’s sales strategy that had emphasized local farmers markets and started negotiating and renegotiating sales relationships with the local food distributors who are now the main outlets for their cheese. They seized the

opportunity when the American Cheese Society held its annual meeting for 2019 in Richmond, Virginia, about a three- or fourhour drive from their farm in Easton, Maryland, on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, to enter their cheese for judging in the society’s annual judging and competition and to go to the meeting and meet some buyers. That rare trip away from the farm produced the creamery’s first West Coast sale of cheese, to Mollie Stone’s markets, as well as valued instruction on technique as well as friendly advice from veteran cheesemakers from around the country.

In addition to its Chapel Cheddar, Chapel’s also makes Woodbine, an American Original that started out as an Alpine-style cheese and developed its own personality. It’s named after the dairy farm belonging to Trisha’s parents that’s been in the family since the early 1900s.

Cutlass is a semi-soft cheese washed in Heavy Seas Cutlass Lager, a craft beer brewed in Baltimore, for at least 30 days.

Chesapeake Brie started out as Rainey’s Dream under the creamery’s former owner, and the Boyces have tweaked the recipe to make it a little bit sweeter than its original Camembert style. Bay Blue is their blue cheese, a Stilton-style variety, and Talbot Reserve is Chapel Cheddar that’s been aged for 12 months. Amber Cheddar is Chapel Cheddar Cheese that’s been beer-washed with Heavy Seas Cutlass Lager.

All of the cheeses are farmstead – made entirely from the milk that comes from the Boyces’ herd of 50 Holstein and Jersey milking cows. “We do this for the cows and to keep the cows in our family.

My heart is with my cows,” Trisha said. “It’s very much a work in progress around here.... We have lots of hopes and dreams.”

The Cheese Guide

9

the farmer takes a wife

cheese

and the

stands alone

BY LORRIE BAUMANN

When Stacie Ballard married her husband in 1980, the Los Angeles-born-and-raised woman wasn’t planning to make the same life her new husband had envisioned. “He said, ‘I want to be a dairy farmer.’ I said I wanted to live in Hawaii.”

Only one of those things happened, and today, Stacie Ballard is a Farmer and Owner of Ballard Family Dairy & Cheese in Gooding, Idaho. “He always wanted to have a dairy farm – his uncle was an Idaho dairy farmer,” she said. “He brought me here on my honeymoon.”

The couple moved to their Idaho farm in 1993, and Ballard pitched in on her husband’s dream. “I went down the street to the dairy farmer and asked if they’d teach me to milk cows,” she said. “I told him I’d work for free.”

Together, the two of them built a barn, bought equipment, bought 25 registered Jersey cows and started milking in 1995.

After almost another decade, Ballard’s husband quit his off-farm job to become a full-time dairy farmer, and the couple decided that, if they were going to continue making a go of it, they needed to look into a valueadded product. He took a cheesemaking class at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and came back home to propose to Ballard that they should make cheese, especially since the local cheese plant had just been bought out by a larger competitor and shut down.

“There wasn’t going to be any cheese curds in the valley any more, so we said we’d make cheese curds,” Ballard said.

The two of them took another cheesemaking course at the University of Wisconsin and opened a cheese plant on their farm in 2004. Today, their son Travis Ballard and grandson Matthew Floyd are the Cheesemakers at Ballard Family Dairy & Cheese and their cheeses are winning prizes in Idaho Milk Processors 10

The Cheese Guide

Association competitions. The family is milking around 120 registered Jerseys twice a day on their 50-acre farm and selling cheeses into the regional foodservice and grocery retail channels.

“It’s not Hawaii, but I have all my kids real close,” Ballard said. “All my kids live right here within a 4-mile radius, and all my grandchildren, so it works.”

The newest cheese from Ballard Family Dairy & Cheese is Black Pepper Cheddar, which won a first place award in its farmstead class and a second runner-up overall this year at the Idaho Milk Processors Competition.

“We’ve won first on all of our cheeses at one time or another,” Ballard said. All of the family’s cheeses are hand-made in small batches, and all the milk in them comes from the Ballards’ Jersey herd.

Idaho Grilling Cheese, the Ballards’ halloumi-style cheese, is a best seller for the company in the foodservice market. “It’s really an up-and-comer,” Ballard said. “A lot of chefs are getting interested in it.... We have a chef in Florida who orders it once a year for a competition.”

Danish Pearl Gouda started out as a Danish-style recipe, but with some help from a consultant, Travis Ballard has tweaked it into a Gouda-style cheese. The name, though, stuck. Jersey Dream is the Ballards’ feta, which won a silver award at the World Jersey Cheese Awards a few years ago. The cheese’s name reflects the Jersey cows who contributed the milk, and “My son says it tastes like a dream,” Ballard said. “Travis – he’s my namer.”

The company also makes Baby Swiss that’s aged for three months and Idaho White Cheddar that’s usually sold after four months of aging. “We just can’t make it fast enough,” Ballard said. “With all of our cheddars, we like that four months. Every once in a while we do a 1- or 2-year-old that we sell as ‘Aged,’ but we don’t have enough of that. We always run out at Christmas time.”

Rogue River Blue

world ’s best first American cheese named

Rogue Creamery’s Rogue River Blue Cheese has been named World’s Best Cheese at the 2019 World Cheese Awards in Bergamo, Italy. Expert judges from around the globe tasted 3,800 of the world’s most distinguished cheeses to choose Rogue River Blue as the world champion. This is the first time an American-made cheese has received this top honor.

Rogue River Blue Cheese is made by Rogue Creamery, a small, artisan cheesemaker in southern Oregon that has been in business since 1933. It is an organic, cave-aged blue cheese that is wrapped in Syrah grape leaves that are soaked in pear spirits.

“I am humbled and filled with gratitude. This is the greatest distinction a cheese can receive,” commented Rogue Creamery President David Gremmels. “What extraordinary validation of our commitment to quality, of the place that inspires our cheese – southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley – and of the excellence of the growing American artisan cheese industry.”

Rogue River Blue is made exclusively with milk from Rogue Creamery’s certified organic dairy farm, where cows graze on pastures bordering the Rogue River. A seasonal product, Rogue River Blue is only made in the fall, beginning on the autumnal equinox, when cooler temperatures bring renewed growth to the pastures and the cow’s milk becomes richer and higher in butterfat.

Gremmels considers this to be the best milk for expressing the unique attributes of their region.

First created in 2002, Rogue River Blue wowed the cheese world by winning best blue cheese and reserve Champion at the 2003 World Cheese Awards – cementing it as one of the United States’ most

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celebrated cheeses in a growing artisan and farmstead cheese market.

“This is the product that put American cheese on the map,” continued Gremmels. “As a result of that 2003 award, we pursued the first American raw milk cheese health certificate for export. We are grateful for our customers and the support of legislators and sponsors like USDEC who have helped bring this product to fine cheese shops and restaurants in Europe, the U.K., Australia and beyond.”

“Now, to have Rogue River Blue recognized again, 16 years later, and this time crowned world champion – what a tremendous honor,” he continued. “Rogue River Blue’s recognition today reinforces the quality of our raw milk cheesemaking tradition in America.”

Hosted by the Great Taste Awards, the 32nd annual World Cheese Awards gathered more than 3,800 cheeses from 42 countries on six continents for tasting by a panel of 260 expert jurors. Receiving 100 points at judging, Rogue River Blue tied for top honors with an Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano. A tie-breaking vote crowned Rogue River Blue as the 2019 world champion.

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FEATURED PRODUCTS Le Gruyère AOP Switzerland: Traceable to its Origin Le Gruyère AOP does not follow trends, but sometimes the trends follow Gruyère AOP. Following the trend toward all-natural foods without additives, consumers now want to know where these foods come from. Fortunately, this has always been an essential part of quality control for Gruyère AOP, and is built into the producers’ specification.

During production, each wheel is marked with its sequential number of all wheels produced in that dairy and the code of the cheese dairy that produced it along with the day and month of production.

In the example pictured, the cheese is the 11,168th wheel produced by dairy number 4167, which was produced on March 13. These black markings are made with casein, the milk protein. The name “Le Gruyère AOP” and the code of the production facility is also on the mold, so that from this point on, this information will also appear on the heel of each wheel. This is an effective way of preventing fakes and guaranteeing authenticity. Tracing the cheese’s origin can even be taken a step further. Using the dairy’s unique code, www.gruyere.com/

Buholzer Brothers Brand from Klondike Cheese Klondike Cheese Company’s new Buholzer Brothers™ brand is crafted by six Wisconsin Master Cheesemakers and dedicated staff and includes four flavorful varieties of Muenster, Brick, Havarti and Dill Havarti.

Brick cheese has a deliciously complex, earthy flavor with a touch of nuttiness when young but turns pungent and tangy when aged. Try Brick cheese on a Detroit-style pizza or slice to top a juicy hamburger. Buholzer Brick comes in a 6-pound loaf, 2-pound slices,

8-ounce chunk and an 8-ounce retail slice pack.

Muenster is an orange rind cheese that is semi-firm with a creamy texture that gets even creamier with age. It’s perfect for grilled cheese, scrambled eggs or pizza. Buholzer Brothers Muenster comes in a 6-pound loaf, 15pound long john, 2-pound slices, 8-ounce chunk and an 8-ounce retail slice pack.

Havarti is a great melting cheese with creamy, rich buttery flavor. Slice for grilled cheese, cube on salads or serve on a char-

I Siciliani Primosale with Pistachio Primosale with Pistachio is a fresh sheep’s milk cheese stuffed with dried and shredded pistachios, which add a slightly salty taste to the Primosale’s delicate and sweet flavor.

I Siciliani, produced by Biopek and imported into the U.S. by Savello USA, creates authentic and traditional cheeses from Sicily following the centuries-old experience of the shepherds and safeguarding the rich gastronomic, environmental and cultural heritage of the region. The company sets itself apart with its enthusiasm and desire to create new 14

The Cheese Guide

solutions and bring value to all of its customers through its experience in the development of partnership projects. The company cherishes its products, and remains faithful to its standards, while continuously trying to improve.

The fresh Primosale cheeses combine a delicate taste with a surprising versatility that makes them heroes of the table in all dishes, either alone or in combination with other ingredients.

Savello USA Inc. www.savellousa.com

en/zone-production will reveal more information about who produced the cheese.

Only the real Le Gruyère AOP Switzerland is handmade, in 170 small batches, from a recipe that has been passed down for centuries. Its inimitable, savory flavor starts with the raw milk of cows that are sustained in local fields, and the maturation is completed in local cellars and caves under strict supervision.

The know-how of the producers, combined with the terroir of the region, makes Le Gruyère AOP Switzerland truly incomparable. The AOP denomination, as

well as the association of milk producers, cheese makers and refiners, are tasked with protecting this flavor – and ensuring that it maintains consistency with its origins, now and forever.

Le Gruyère AOP Switzerland is 100 percent natural and 100 percent additive free, with 100 percent great taste. And, of course, it’s also naturally free of lactose and gluten, as it has been since it was first produced in 1115 AD.

cuterie platter. Buholzer Brothers Havarti comes in 4.5-pound and 9pound loaves as well as 15-pound long johns, 2pound slices, 6-ounce chunk and a 7-ounce retail slice pack. Dill Havarti is available in 4.5-pound and 9-pound loaves, 6-ounce chunk and a 7-ounce retail slice pack.

Klondike Cheese Co. is a fourth-generation cheesemaking family, crafting award-winning cheeses in the same location in Monroe, Wisconsin, since the late 1800s. This year’s accolades include sweeping the flavored Havarti category at the 2019

Wisconsin State Fair.

The secret to Klondike’s exceptional quality is the combination of state-of-the art equipment, proprietary recipes and time-honored traditions of cheesemaking. The recent 20,000 square foot plant expansion at Klondike Cheese Co. demonstrates a commitment to providing high quality, authentic and consistently flavorful products.

Le Gruyere AOP Switzerland www.gruyere.com

Klondike Cheese www.klondikecheese.com

CBD-Infused Cheese from Caputo Founded in 1978 by René and Pasquale Caputo, Caputo Cheese, in Melrose Park, Illinois, crafts award-winning fresh Mozzarella and Ricotta cheeses using Old World tradition and recipes.

Natale Caputo, the second-generation President of Caputo Cheese, introduces the newest addition to the Caputo portfolio, Elevated Cow. Made with the same high-quality milk and with the same attention to detail as Caputo’s other cheeses, the Elevated Cow line of fresh cheeses is infused with organic, independently tested

and verified CBD. Each batch of Elevated Cow is then sent out to be tested at an independent lab to ensure accuracy in product and to provide accurate labeling for you and your customers.

Use the Elevated Cow line of cheeses on pizza, caprese salads or any dish that highlights fresh mozzarella.

Caputo Cheese 708.450.0074 www.caputocheese.com

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FEATURED PRODUCTS Monti Trentini Lagorai Cheese

Formaggio Brand Artisan Wraps

Lagorai Cheese offers a smooth and creamy texture with a light, savory, nutty flavor. With 90 days of aging, this cheese has a delicate texture that satisfies the tastes of everyone looking for an imported Italian cheese with a lovely taste, wide range of culinary uses (from pizza topping to cheese plates) and a simple structure. This cheese is an all-natural product made from 100 percent Italian mountain milk, handmade as its tradition requires. It’s rBST free and GMO free, and the milk comes from Animal Welfare-certified dairies.

The recipe for this cheese was found many years ago in a malga, a small dairy high on the moun-

Formaggio Brands has expanded its line of Artisan Wraps beyond the original 22-ounce tray with three meats, prosciutto, pepperoni and soppressata wrapped around sticks of Formaggio’s award-winning fresh mozzarella. The line now includes both new sizes and new meat choices.

Two new sizes include an 18-ounce version of the larger variety tray and smaller grab-and-go individual packages, which are either 5 or 6 ounces,

tainside that was used only during the summer months when the cows grazed in the nearby pasture. The recipe was engraved in an old wood spannarola, an instrument used to make the cheese, and translated by Fabio, Monti Trentini’s Master Cheesemaker from short written phases in the dialect of the northeastern part of Italy where the recipe was found. He was able to reproduce this cheese and then to adapt the production technique to Monti Trentini’s modern facility to resurrect this cheese and bring it back to people’s tables.

Monti Trentini USA LLC 203.340.5415 www.montitrentini.com

Fontina Aosta DOP Fontina Aosta DOP is a semi-soft cow’s milk cheese made exclusively within Italy’s Aosta Valley.

The area’s particular combination of flowers, herbs and pure water gives the cow’s milk its special fragrance and flavor.

Fontina is made from the unskimmed milk of separate milkings. The milk is placed in a cauldron, clotted and processed according to age-olf techniques. All thermic treatments aimed at reducing microbes (pasteurization) are excluded to allow for a richer taste, aroma and quality.

The cheese is then salted and left to age for about four to five months. During this phase the cheese is treated daily, almost

completely by hand. In the first three months, the cheese is placed on pine shelves and turned over every other day as well as being salted and brushed with salty water. Then regular cleaning of the cheese’s surface continues until the product is matured.

The result is a cheese that acquires a soft-textured paste with the typical sweet and delicate flavor.

Fontina is cylindrical and flat in shape. The rind is thin, ranging from reddish yellow to dark brown in color; the paste is soft but compact and springy. The sweet taste varies considerably depending on the degree of aging.

Savello USA Inc. www.savellousa.com

Bellwether Farms Crème Fraiche Bellwether Farms' award winning Crème Fraiche is a classic French-style cultured cream with a rich, nutty flavor and an appealing tart edge. A basic pantry item traditionally found in French cooking, this ingredient has spread throughout America’s kitchens. Crème Fraiche is very 16

The Cheese Guide

versatile. Use it for topping off soup, chili or spoon it over seasonal fruit.

With the depth and richness Crème Fraiche brings to every bite, it's a better substitute for sour cream.

Bellwether Farms www.bellwetherfarms.com

depending on flavor, with one kind of deli meat. Meat choices now additionally feature Hard Salami, Genoa Salami and Chorizo with Jamon Serrano coming up.

Formaggio Brand sets itself apart not only with its wide range of meat choices but also, importantly, the creamy, silky handmade quality of the award-winning fresh mozzarella cheese from which the sticks are formed.

Formaggio Italian Specialties www.formaggiocheese.com

Calabro Introduces Full Line of Formaggi di Bufala New products from Calabro Cheese include Mozzarella di Bufala, Ricotta di Bufala, Burrata di Bufala and Bufarella.

Calabro brings in the freshest, never frozen, buffalo milk and hand makes a truly unique line of cheeses in its New England facility. All of the bufala cheeses are made fresh to order, which assures customers a much longer shelf life than the traditional imported frozen product.

The Mozzarella di Bufala is made using a natural lactic culture imported from Campania, Italy, and is available in all the traditional sizes including Ciliegine, Bocconcini, Ovoline and 8-ounce.

Ricotta di Bufala is delectably rich and creamy and has been awarded top honors in the sofi

Awards by the Specialty Food Association and in the World Championship Cheese Competition.

The newest addition to the lineup is Calabro’s handmade Burrata di Bufala, made with bufala cream and bufala mozzarella. The outer shell is soft and smooth, while the inside bursts with fresh crèma di bufala and hand pulled strands of mozzarella di bufala.

Lastly, Calabro’s Bufarella is a blend of bufala and cows milk and was formulated specifically for use on artisanal pizza.

Calabro Cheese Corporation 203.469.1311 www.calabrocheese.com

Odyssey Greek Yogurt Dips Klondike Cheese Company introduces a healthier alternative to traditional sour creambased dips with its Odyssey® brand Greek Yogurt Dips.

These gluten-free and rBST-free cow’s milk dips add a refreshing taste to the dairy section.

Odyssey Greek Yogurt Dips have 40 percent fewer calories per

serving, three times the protein per serving and half the fat per serving compared to traditional sour cream based dips. Odyssey Greek Yogurt Dips come in three delicious flavors: Southwest, French Onion and Bell Pepper.

Klondike Cheese www.klondikecheese.com

A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

FEATURED PRODUCTS A Dutch Masterpiece Launches New Packaging The classic, but unique, A Dutch Masterpiece is a collection of four premium mature cheeses that have won excellence awards around the world including overall World Champion at the World Championship Cheese Contest in Madison, Wisconsin, for both Rembrandt (2004) and Vermeer (2012). With exclusive recipes and a commitment to the art of traditional Dutch cheesemaking, A Dutch Masterpiece produces premium cheese in a classic, traditional Dutch way and ensures that every Dutch Masterpiece cheese delivers a taste experience like no other.

A Dutch Masterpiece varieties are works of art, with each variety

named after a great Dutch artist.

Each cheese has its own unique recipe and ripening process. This results in a distinctive and refined texture, taste and flavor.

A package redesign, launching during the first half of 2020, will help make the award-winning collection more accessible to consumers. Distinctive in flavor like their artists, this new brand identity and package design showcases the distinctive features of each painter, his formative work and the unique age and tasting notes of each of the awarding winning cheeses in this masterpiece collection.

A Dutch Masterpiece collection of four premium mature cheeses is available in both wheels and

wedges.

Rembrandt is traditionally ripened for one year. This awardwinning extra-aged Dutch cheese has a firm texture and a robust flavor and an exceptional taste.

Vincent is a rich, sweet-tasting, fully-ripened Dutch cheese that's sometimes described as “Gouda meets Parmesan,” and it releases pleasant bursts of flavor with every bite. Frans Hals is a rich aged Dutch goat cheese that is naturally matured up to six months. Frans Hals is made from 100 percent goat’s milk to create a unique full-bodied taste and delicate aroma. Vermeer is an awardwinning aged Dutch Gouda cheese that's traditionally ripened for six months and has a delicate

Le Bon Magot Continues to Spice Up Preserves, Conserves and Chutneys The embrace of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean/North African and South Asian flavors makes Le Bon Magot’s heritage recipes and approach to producing small-batch condiments entirely relevant in 2020. Available in 3-ounce, 7-ounce and 58-ounce containers, the line can be sold in retail settings to consumers and used in food service applications. Made with cheese (and charcuterie) in mind, Le Bon Magot creations are bold in fla-

vor but delicately balanced, allowing the cheese to assert itself through the array of spice blends featured in the products.

Le Bon Magot is a multi-award winning, woman-owned specialty food producer operating out of Hopewell, New Jersey. Magot (mă-gō′), or “the hidden treasure,” specializes in African, Middle Eastern and South Asian-inspired condiments and culinary ingredients: caponata, chutney, con-

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The Cheese Guide

FrieslandCampina Consumer Dairy U.S. www.frieslandcampina.com blended aromatics and no preservatives.

In addition to being gluten free and vegan friendly, a notable feature of the condiments is an enduring shelf-life, which has been achieved through classical, proven cooking and preserving techniques (e.g. pickling, temperature control, oil, sugar).

Le Bon Magot 609.447.2847 www.lebonmagot.com

J&M Foods Continues a Proud Tradition

Trentingrana DOP Trentingrana DOP is a 100 percent Italian cheese made using only cow’s milk, rennet and salt. It is produced in Trento, a region characterized by immense valleys, vast mountain forests and pure water resources. This mountainous area of northern Italy is known for its great passion for gastronomic culture and the uniqueness of its products.

The milk used to produce this cheese comes from cows that are healthy and strong, mainly the Brown Alpine breed. Once processed, the cheese is aged for a minimum of 18 months. For the first nine months of this, the

serve, marmalata, preserves, tapenade and dressing. Expect to taste fresh, locally-sourced produce and sweet, sun-dried fruit blended with the best quality oils, vinegars and spices sourced through specialist traders and ateliers from around the world.

Crafted preserves and relishes are made in small batches from heritage recipes using high-quality seasonal produce, custom-

fruity taste with a delightful flavor.

The A Dutch Masterpiece collection is created

by FrieslandCampina, the world's largest producer of Dutch cheese. FrieslandCampina Consumer Dairy U.S., based in Paramus, New Jersey, is the world’s largest producer of Gouda and Dutch cheeses and one of the largest importers of specialty cheeses to the United States. FrieslandCampina is a company rich in heritage, with deep roots in Dutch culture, and a history of selling products across the globe for a century and serving U.S. consumers for more than 50 years.

cheese is ripened in the dairy.

Trentingrana is a semi-fat cheese, with a reduced lipid content, making it ideal for the modern diet. Only 100,000 of these cheeses are made per year.

Trentingrana is a cheese best known for its sweetness that’s suitable for every meal. It can be enjoyed with cocktails or as an appetizing and nourishing second course. It is also an excellent cheese to be grated, suitable for making refined dishes even tastier.

Savello USA Inc. www.savellousa.com

The cheese straws and cookies for which J&M Foods is known reflect its family tradition and passion for good food. With 21 products in the current line-up as well as additional seasonal offerings, J&M Foods, the maker of the Janis & Melanie line of treats, offers your shoppers a lot of options for everyday pleasure and for gifting.

In keeping with the company's 100-year-old family recipe that inspired its greattasting Original Cheese Straws, J&M Foods is committed to maintaining its heritage of providing great products made from the finest ingredients available. All

products are free of trans-fats and baked with care.

In addition, J&M Foods, an award-winning market leader within the specialty foods industry, offers private label services from its 32,000 square foot facility residing on 21 acres.

The company has room to grow along with customers and offers the flexibility to meet those customers' needs for quality and variety.

J&M Foods 800.264.2278 www.janis-melanie.com

A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

FEATURED PRODUCTS Buholzer Brothers Cheeses You Can Boast About Klondike Cheese Co. is now offering Buholzer Brothers™ Muenster, Brick, Havarti and Dill Havarti cheeses crafted in Wisconsin, by six master cheesemakers in the heart of America’s dairyland. All four flavors have a mild and creamy flavor profile, great for sandwiches and snacking.

They’re available in 6-, 9- or 4.5pound loaves, depending on variety.

This award-winning cheese works for you either in your deli

Fiorucci Introduces New Authentic Cheese Line

case or at your foodservice counters.

Recent accolades include first place for Buholzer Brothers Brick Cheese and second place for Muenster Cheese in the 2018 World Cheese Championship.

Klondike Cheese www.klondikecheese.com

Pumpkin Spice Honey Cream Spread Pumpkin Spice is the newest seasonal Honey Cream Spread from Bumbleberry Farms. These delectable spreads can be stirred in coffee, spread on toast or pancakes, drizzled over popcorn or ice cream, spooned into oat-

meal or yogurt, or used as a glaze for poultry, fish or roasted vegetable. More options for your customers means more movement on your shelves.

Bumbleberry Farms www.bumbleberryfarms.com

Fiorucci is the brand of specialty meats that delivers the true taste of Italy. For more than 165 years, Fiorucci has used Old World recipes to produce a full line of authentic Italian charcuterie meats, cheeses and p r e m i u m snacking products using only hand-trimmed cuts of premium pork and the finest ingredients, then slowly aging them to perfection. Since 1850, the Fiorucci family has been creating authentic Italian meats, honoring the tradition of the Italian dinner table.

Fiorucci is now introducing a line of authentic Italian cheeses in Aged Parmesan and Mild Provolone. The sweet, savory, 10month-aged Parmesan adds a

punch of flavor to nearly anything it's added to. As a tableside topping or integral ingredient, its salty, nutty flavor provides delicious umami and depth.

Aged for more than 60 days, Fioruccci Provolone is full of rich, mildly smoky, nutty flavor. Its firm body holds up well against spicy, robust flavors, making it an ideal addition to a zesty appetizer tray or charcuterie board. Both products are gluten free, rBST free and an excellent source of calcium and protein.

They are available in 8-ounce packages, and each unit contains about eight servings.

Fiorucci Foods www.fioruccifoods.com

The Cheese Guide

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CHEESE LISTINGS PRODUCT NAME

COMPANY

AWARDS

RETAIL PRICE

DESCRIPTION

ACCOMPANIMENTS Apricot Pepper Savory Spread

Just Jan's, Inc. 818.514.5964 www.justjans.com

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$6.99-$-7.99

Just Jan's Apricot Pepper Savory Spread is a combination of sweet apricots, tangy bell peppers and just the right amount of jalapeño peppers. This delicious, all-natural spread is a great partner for cheeses, a nice addition to a vegetable stir fry, the perfect complement to a cheese board and elevates a grilled cheese sandwich.

Brinjal Caponata

Le Bon Magot LLC 609.477.2847 www.lebonmagot.com

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$10 for 7-ounce jar, $6.50 for 3-ounce jar

Purple aubergine with cumin and curry leaves, Brinjal Caponata is part of a family of chutneys and preserves that have won six sofi™ Awards from the Specialty Food Association, a Good Food Award and the 2019 Mindful Award for jams and jellies.

Cheese Straws

J&M Foods 800.264.2278 www.janis-melanie.com

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$3.99-5.99

J&M's Original Cheese Straws are a traditional Southern delicacy combining a light, crisp texture with just a hint of hot. Serve them anytime as a snack, appetizer or hors d’ oeuvre. They’re a delicious counterpart to soups, salads, fruit and wine.

ALTERNATIVE FORMATS Cheese Folios

Norseland 203.515.6588 www.cheesefolios.com

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Lightly baked sheets of cow milk cheese in three flavors: Cheddar, Jarlsberg and Parmesan. Cheese Folios can be rolled around other ingredients to create wraps or crisped to create edible salad bowls or chips.

Cheese Straws

J&M Foods 800.264.2278 www.jm-foods.com

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A traditional Southern delicacy combining a light, crisp texture with a hint of heat.

Cheesepop

Cheesepop B.V. www.cheesepop.com

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Cheesepop is a luxury cocktail snack made from 100 percent cheese that’s been popped to eliminate moisture and turn it into crunchy little croutons. Available in Gouda and Emmental flavors, it’s shelf-stable and packaged in bags and cups.

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Buholzer Brothers Brick is a semi-soft, mild-flavored cheese that's offered in 6-pound loaves for the deli case. Great for melting on sandwiches, snacking and to slice for a cheese tray.

Multiple awards including 1st place at 2011 American Cheese Society Competition & Judging and 2nd place at 2012 ACS Competition

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All-natural pasteurized cow milk, semi-hard table cheese with a natural rind. Toma is a mild, buttery table cheese that's good for cooking and pairs well with hop-heavy beers, Pinot Noir or Scotch.

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Gouda meets Cheddar in this versatile American Original. Its sweet, approachable flavors and striking orange hue enhance a cheese plate. Offered in 10-pound wheels and 6-ounce retail cuts.

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Odyssey®Traditional Crumbled Feta is a healthy addition to salads and main dishes. The smaller size 4-ounce packaging will allow retailers more shelf space to display a wider variety of flavors that are available, and give the consumer a better price point.

2nd place at 2018 American Cheese Society Judging & Competition, 2016 Good Food Award, 1st place at 2015 U.S. Cheese Championships

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Ashbrook is Spring Brook Farm's version of the French Morbier cheese, made with natural raw Jersey cows milk with a distinctive layer of vegetable ash running through the center and a natural washed rind. This semi-soft cheese has damp, dark cellar notes with a mild funkiness on the rind and a milky sweet flavor in its paste.

It's offered in 18-pound full wheels or 4.5-pound quarter wheels.

AMERICAN ORIGINAL Buholzer Brothers Brick

Klondike Cheese Company 608.325.3021 www.klondikecheese.com

Point Reyes Toma

Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. 415.663.8880 www.pointreyescheese.com

Prairie Sunset

Emmi Roth 608.285.9800 www.rothcheese.com

AMERICAN-MADE INTERNATIONAL STYLE Odyssey 4-ounce Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese

Klondike Cheese Company 608.325.3021 www.klondikecheese.com

Ashbrook

Spring Brook Farm 802.484.1226 www.sbfcheese.org

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The Cheese Guide

CHEESE LISTINGS PRODUCT NAME

COMPANY

AWARDS

AMERICAN-MADE INTERNATIONAL STYLE

RETAIL PRICE

DESCRIPTION

(continued)

Elevated Cow Fresh Mozzarella

Caputo Cheese 708.450.0074 www.caputocheese.com

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Elevated Cow is Caputo's award-winning Mozzarella infused with CBD sourced from 100 percent organic hemp. It's lab tested and verified.

Locarno

Nicasio Valley Cheese Company 415.662.6200 www.nicasiocheese.com

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A uniquely delicious, creamy Brie, Locarno ripens from the inside of the rind through the tangy, chalky interior. Available in 2.5pound 8-inch wheels or in 6-ounce rounds with a 90-day shelf life and newly available in 3-ounce exact-weight rounds.

Premium Italian cheeses

Calabro Cheese Corporation 203.469.1311 www.calabrocheese.com

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For over half a century, Calabro Cheese has been a leader in manufacturing Italian artisanal cheeses, including fresh mozzarella, hand dipped ricotta, impastata, organic cheese and much more.

The company is a family of cheese makers that are committed to the highest production standards, resulting in the highest quality cheeses.

Reading

Spring Brook Farm Cheese 802.484.1226 www.sbfcheese.org

Multiple national awards, including a 1st place at the 2018 American Cheese Society Judging & Competition and gold medal and best in show awards at the 2018 Big E Cheese Competition

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Reading is Spring Brook Farm's artisan raclette-style cheese. It's made with natural raw Jersey cow milk and aged at least three months for a versatile semi-soft cheese with nutty, grassy undertones that's ideally suited for melting. It's available in randomweight wheels between 18 and 20 pounds or in 4.5-pound quarters for food service and retail applications.

St. Helga's

Prairie Farms 563.468.6600 www.cavesoffaribault.com

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$3-5/pound

European-style Swiss cheese with complex nutty flavor and larger holes, cave-aged in the fabled Caves of Faribault.

Tarentaise

Spring Brook Farm Cheese 802.484.1226 www.sbfcheese.org

Multiple awards including a best in show for Tarentaise Reserve at the 2017 American Cheese Society Judging & Competition, a bronze medal at the 2018 World Cheese Awards and a 1stt place at the 2018 American Cheese Society Judging & Competition

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Made from raw Jersey cow milk, Tarentaise is a farmstead cheese made using traditional Alpine cheesemaking techniques. It's a semi-hard cheese with a natural washed rind that's been aged at least nine months. Flavor depends on the season, ranging from a complex, nutty flavor for the winter cheese to a bright floral taste in summer. It's offered as a 20-pound wheel and a 5-pound quarter wheel.

Multiple awards including a super gold medal at the 2014 World Cheese Awards

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A naturally-rinded blue with hints of vanilla, truffle and savory bacon. It’s made from all-natural, grass-based organic whole cow milk and vegetarian enzymes.

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A cow milk cheese that’s a cross between gorgonzola and a creamy mascarpone for a very creamy texture. The flavor is intense yet very sweet. This cheese would be perfect for a cheese plate after a meal and in pasta dishes or risotto.

BLUE CHEESES Caveman Blue

Rogue Creamery 866.396.4704 www.roguecreamery.com

Dolce Paradiso

Savello USA Inc. 570.822.9743 www.savellousa.com

Oregon Blue

Rogue Creamery 866.396.4704 www.roguecreamery.com

Multiple awards dating back to a 1st place at the 1987 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest and up to a 3rd place at the 2017 United States Cheese Championships and a silver medal at the 2013 World Cheese Awards

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Rogue Creamery’s signature classic blue, Oregon Blue has been artisan-made since 1955. It’s made from pasteurized organic milk from the Rogue Creamery mixed-breed dairy herd and has Rogue Creamery’s signature sweetness and spice with a regional fruit finish.

Penta Creme

Carr Valley Cheese 608.370.4144 www.carrvalleycheese.com

1st place at 2018 L.A. International Dairy Competition

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Blue cheeese with extra cream for a rich, creamy flavor and a texture that’s almost spreadable at room temperature.

Point Reyes Original Blue

Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. 415.663.8880 www.pointreyescheese.com

Multiple awards including, most recently, a 2019 Good Food Award

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Classic-style raw cow milk blue cheese that’s rindless, all natural and gluten free. It’s made with microbial rennet and aged 3.5 months to produce a milky white cheese with blue-green veins throughout. It has an ultra-creamy texture with a medium-strong blue mold flavor.

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The Cheese Guide

The Cheese Guide

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CHEESE LISTINGS PRODUCT NAME

COMPANY

AWARDS

RETAIL PRICE

DESCRIPTION

BLUE CHEESES (continued) Rogue River Blue Cheese

Rogue Creamery 866.397.4704 www.roguecreamery.com

Multiple awards, including a sofi award in the Specialty Food Association’s 2018 competition, World’s best named at 2019 World Cheese Awards

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This distinctive cheese has Oregon’s regional flavors of brandy, truffles, butter and hazelnuts, a creamy texture and green-blue veins. It’s made from organic pasteurized milk from the Rogue Creamery’s mixed-breed dairy herd and aged a minimum of nine to 12 months.

Roth Buttermilk Blue

Emmi Roth 608.285.9800 www.rothcheese.com

2nd place in 2017 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, bronze in 2016 World Cheese Awards, best in class at 2014 World Championship Cheese Contest

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Roth Buttermilk Blue is crafted with raw milk from Jersey and Holstein cows and cellar-aged for two months or longer. Tangy, yet mellow and creamy, this blue was recently ranked Top Crumbled Blue Cheese by Cook’s Illustrated.

Smokey Blue

Rogue Creamery 866.397.4704 www.roguecreamery.com

Multiple Awards including a 3rd place at the 2018 American Cheese Society Competition & Judging and an outstanding new product award in 2005 from NASFT, which is now the Specialty Food Association.

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Smokey Blue, the world’s first smoked blue cheese, is made by cold-smoking Oregon Blue over a bed of hazelnuts for a cheese with a flavor profile that includes hints of nuts, caramel, mushroom and cured bacon. It’s made with vegetarian enzymes and aged a minimum of three months.

Tolman Blue

Rogue Creamery 866.397.4704 www.roguecreamery.com

Silver award for a new cheese at the 2018 World Cheese Awards

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Tolman Blue has subtle, rich, buttery and savory flavors with a natural rind and an interesting texture. It’s made from pasteurized organic cow milk and aged a minimum of three months.

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Lewis Road Creamery uses the traditional “Fritz churn” method to produce both its salted and unsalted varieties, with each golden yellow batch wrapped in premium gold foil to ensure freshness.

Milk comes from grass-fed, free-range cows.

1st place at 2017 American Cheese Society Judging & Competition, 2nd place at 2018 ACS

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Cow milk butter cold smoked in-house over maple wood chips.

BUTTERS Artisan Butter

Lewis Road Creamery www.lewisroadcreamery.co.nz

Smoked Butter

Minerva Dairy 330.868.4196 www.minervadairy.com

CHEESES FOR SNACKING Artisan Wraps

Formaggio Brand 845.436.4200 www.formaggiocheese.com

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$5.99 for 5- or 6-ounce packages, $15 for 18-ounce packages, $19.99 for 22-ounce packages

Formaggio's distinctive innovation - Artisan Wraps - is a grabn-go, snackable twist on the company's classic meat and cheese rolls, but with the meat hand-wrapped around a stick of award-winning fresh mozzarella. Meats include: Prosciutto, Applewood Smoked Prosciutto, Chorizo, Genoa Salami, Hard Salami, Jamon Serrrano, Pepperoni and Soppressata. Three sizes.

Charcuterie Rolls

Formaggio Brand 845.436.4200 www.formaggiocheese.com

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$5.99-6.99

Formaggio Brand's original innovation – Charcuterie Rolls – are now sliced thinner. This 7-ounce Panino or Rotolo features high pressure-processed deli meats sourced from high quality vendors rolled with Formaggio's award-winning fresh mozzarella. Meats include: prosciutto, applewood smoked prosciutto, chorizo, Genoa salami, pepperoni and soppressata.

Gouda Cheese Snacks

FrieslandCampina 551.497.7300 www.frieslandcampina.com www.frico.com

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Imported from Holland, Gouda Cheese Snacks are a mild and creamy Gouda cheese made from cow milk and packed in 20g/0.75-ounce individually wrapped portions.

Savory Grab ‘n Go Snack from Glacier Ridge Farms

Dairyfood USA Inc. 608.437.5598 www.dairyfoodusa.com

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$2.49-$2.99

With increasingly on-the-go lifestyles, consumers are turning to snacks to satisfy their hunger cravings between meals. In response, Dairyfood USA has stepped up to the plate, introducing two new snack-pack varieties, including Smoked Gouda and Aged Cheddar cheese spreads paired with crisp pretzel chips.

The Cheese Guide

23

CHEESE LISTINGS PRODUCT NAME

COMPANY

AWARDS

RETAIL PRICE

DESCRIPTION

FLAVORED CHEESES Hatch Chile

Sierra Nevada Cheese 530.934.8660 www.sierranevadacheese.com

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Made from Sierra Nevada’s award-winning Jack recipe with authentic Hatch chiles for creamy texture and a mild heat with its chile more noticeable for its flavor than its heat. It’s made with Graziers grass-fed cow milk.

President Gourmet Pairings

President 800.641.8306 www.presidentcheese.com

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A smooth and creamy spreadable cheese with gourmet toppings.

The three debut flavors are Feta with Roasted Red Pepper, Blue Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Aged White Cheddar with Apple Chutney, all of which work for both spreading and dipping.

Roth Green Goddess Gouda

Emmi Roth 608.285.9800 www.rothcheese.com

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A savory blend of classic fresh kitchen herbs like tarragon, chives, parsley and garlic make this flavored Gouda unique. available in 7.5-pound loaf and 6-ounce retail cuts. Proceeds from The Goddess Project help support leaders in communities nationwide who are empowering others.

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Triple cream French gourmet cheese truly made in France. Not organic, but all natural: without gums, artificial flavoring or coloring or stabilizers. Belletoile Spreads offer exquisite taste and smooth texture as well as a highly competitive price point. Very versatile: spreads on crackers, accompanies crudités, tops baked or mashed potato dishes, folds into pasta and vegetable dishes or adds flavor and richness to sauces.

FRESH CHEESES Belletoile Spreads

Fromagerie Henri Hutin 800.659.2603 www.henri-hutin.fr

Bellwether Farms Crème Fraiche

Bellwether Farms 707.763.0993 www.bellwetherfarms.com

Multiple awards, including a gold medal from the CalExpo State Fair, a 2nd place ribbon from the American Cheese Society Judging & Competition and many others

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Bellwether Farms’ award-winning classic French-style cultured cream has a rich, nutty flavor with an appealing tart edge. A basic pantry item traditionally found in French cooking, this ingredient has spread throughout America’s kitchens. Crème Fraiche is very versatile.

Bellwether Farms Whole Milk Basket Ricotta

Bellwether Farms 707.763.0993 www.bellwetherfarms.com

Multiple Good Food Awards as well as others that include a gold medal at CalExpo and a best in class award at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest and multiple sofi Awards from the NASFT, which is now the Specialty Food Association.

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Bellwether Farms’ Whole Milk Basket Ricotta starts with the rich, whole Jersey cow milk produced on neighboring farms. The milk is first cultured to bring out its flavors and then slowly heated in small kettles until the curds form. Sold in its original draining basket, this unique ricotta is known for its pillowy texture. It works well as a recipe ingredient and it pairs well with Pinot Grigio, a wheat beer or a pilsner.

Foggy Morning

Nicasio Valley Cheese Company 415.662.6200 www.nicasiocheese.com

Six national awards

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Foggy Morning is a soft, creamy cheese with a very subtle tang made from cow milk produced at a family-owned organic farmstead. Dominant flavors are fresh milk, grassy with a tang. Foggy Morning is offered in exact-weight 6-ounce rounds with a 90-day shelf life and is newly available in 3-ounce exact-weight rounds.

Fresh Goat Cheese

Cypress Grove Chevre Inc. 707.825.1100 www.cypressgrovecheese.com

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Versatile as a dip, spread or snack, Cypress Grove’s Fresh Goat Cheese is offered in four flavors: Jalapeño & Herbs, Straight Up Goat Cheese, Sweet Dreams (flavored with vanilla bean and brown sugar) and Little Red Corvette (flavored with red bell pepper and black garlic).

Fromage Blanc 0% Fat

Vermont Creamery 833.882.7679 www.vermontcreamery.com

1st place at 2018 American Cheese Society Competition & Judging

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French-style fresh goat cheese sold in an 8-ounce cup.

V.V. Supremo has won a host of awards for Hispanic-style cheeses made in the U.S.

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Mexican melting cheese perfect for quesadillas or anything where you want a mild, buttery melting cheese. Chihuahua Jalapeño is made with 100 percent whole milk.

HISPANIC STYLE CHEESE Chihuahua Jalapeño

24

The Cheese Guide

V.V. Supremo 312.421.1020 www.vvsupremo.com

CHEESE LISTINGS PRODUCT NAME

COMPANY

AWARDS

RETAIL PRICE

DESCRIPTION

IMPORTED CHEESES Cabecou

Remond Freres by Le Pic Dairy www.fromages-de-chevre.fr

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Small in size at 2.5 ounces, this lactic goat milk cheese develops a flavor that refines until its crust blooms. Newly available in the U.S. from World's Best Cheese after the company achieved its U.S. Food and Drug Administration license late last year.

Carozzi Taleggio Naturale DOP

Savello USA Inc. 570.822.9743 www.savellousa.com

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$10.15/pound

Taleggio Naturale DOP is a typical table cheese made of high quality raw cow’s milk from Lombardia, and is a well-known ingredient of many Italian dishes. Its sweet and delicate taste becomes tangier towards the middle; and its soft, spreadable center is ideal with fresh bread, or as a pizza topping.

Fiorucci imported Italian cheeses

Campofrio Food Group America 800.520.7775 www.fioruccifoods.com

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$4.50

Fiorucci’s new line of authentic, premium, Italian cheeses includes Aged Parmesan and Mild Provolone. Sweet, savory, 10 month aged Parmesan adds a punch of flavor to nearly anything it's added to, and the Mild Provolone is aged for more than 60 days for full, rich flavor and is gluten free, rBST free.

Gruyere AOP Classic, Gruyere AOP Reserve, Le Gruyere d'Alpage AOP

Le Gruyere AOP Switzerland +41(0)26 921 84 10 www.gruyere.com

Many international awards, including four times as a world champion at the World Cheese Awards.

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Gruyère AOP, a PDO product (Protected Designation of Origin), can be produced only in the Gruyères region of western Switzerland. It has been produced from raw cow milk, with the same recipe, since 1115 AD. Gruyère AOP is 100 percent natural, 100 percent additive free, and naturally free of lactose and gluten.

Jarlsberg

Norseland 203.515.6588 www.jarlsberg.com

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$5.99-6.99

A mild semi-soft cow milk cheese, Jarlsberg is known for its sweet and nutty flavor and its large round holes.

Kaltbach Le Cremeux

Emmi Roth USA 608.285.9800 www.emmiroth.com

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Kaltbach Le Cremeux is a smear-ripened semi-firm cheese with a unique, complex flavor and texture that's reminiscent of a soft-cooked egg yolk. Flavor has a strong, caramelized butter flavor on the front and a hearty finish that's reminiscent of chicken stock.

Lagorai

Monti Trentini USA LLC 203.340.5415 www.montitrentini.com

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$9.99 for a 7-ounce piece

Lagorai has a creamy texture that suggests a fresh cheese but a savoriness that reflects its 90 days of aging. A traditional regional cheese from the Trentino region of Italy, it has scattered holes and a flavor that's intense but not too strong.

Puzzone di Moena DOP

Savello USA Inc. 570.822.9743 www.savellousa.com

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$12.55/pound

Puzzone di Moena DOP is a hard cow milk cheese made in the northern Italian valleys of Fiemme, Fassa and Primiero. The cheese owes its name to its strong aroma and has a creamy, semicooked paste and moist rind. It's produced using raw cow milk, salt and rennet, with no additives or preservatives.

Rembrandt Aged Gouda

Friesland Campina Consumer Dairy U.S. 201.665.7730 www.adutchmasterpiece.com

Overall World Champion – World Championship Cheese Contest, Madison, Wisconsin, 2004 Gold – World Cheese Awards, Birmingham, UK 2016

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Naturally matured for one year, Rembrandt has a firm texture and rich flavor. Rembrandt is made from the best milk of the FrieslandCampina dairy farms and has its own unique recipe and ripening process. Available in wheels and wedges. Available in wheels and wedges.

Shaved Goat Cheese

FrieslandCampina 551.497.7300 www.frieslandcampina.com www.frico.com

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$6.99

Imported from Holland. Naturally matured for 20 weeks, this flavorful, distinctive goat's cheese has a slightly crumbly texture.

It's freshly shaved to enhance salads, soups, pastas and flatbreads.

Packaged in a 5-ounce cup.

Ubriaco D'Alpeggio

Savello USA Inc. 570.822.9743 www.savellousa.com

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$12.48/pound

Ubriaco D'Alpeggio is a semi-hard cheese made with raw cow milk, salt and rennet and soaked in Enantio red wine. The cheese is immersed for a period of 15 to 20 days and rotated daily to ensure that the wine is absorbed evenly. The result is an opaque, purplish rind and a paste that is soft with a fruity and aromatic scent.

The Cheese Guide

25

CHEESE LISTINGS PRODUCT NAME

COMPANY

AWARDS

RETAIL PRICE

DESCRIPTION

Good Food Award 2012 and 2014

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Carmody highlights the buttery flavor and naturally golden color of Jersey cow milk. As it ages, Carmody develops a sweet caramel undertone. It’s offered in 3.5-pound wheels and 7-ounce cuts.

Multiple awards including 1st place at 2011 American Cheese Society Competition & Judging and 2nd place at 2012 ACS Competition

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All-natural pasteurized cow milk, semi-hard table cheese with a natural rind. Toma is a mild, buttery table cheese that’s good for cooking and pairs well with hop-heavy beers, Pinot Noir or Scotch.

NATURAL-RIND CHEESES Carmody

Bellwether Farms www.bellwetherfarms.com

Point Reyes Toma

Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. 415.663.8880 www.pointreyescheese.com

SOFT-RIPENED CHEESES Belletoile

Fromagerie Henri Hutin 800.659.2603 www.belletoile.us

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Belletoile is the first triple cream specialty cheese ever exported to USA in the 1960s. Eagerly sought after for its richness and buttery texture, and its fresh flavor, this award-winning specialty cheese has a snowy white rind that protects a buttery paste that’s sure to captivate any palate. It is perfect on a cheese platter or accompanied by nuts.

Brie Couronne

Fromagerie Henri Hutin 800.659.2603 www.belletoile.us

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Brie Couronne is the only lactic brie on the U.S. market. Thanks to its special technology, Couronne has a core and is ripening just as a raw milk brie would. Made from Grade A ultra-filtered milk, the cheese has the same consistent quality throughout the year.

It’s rich and smooth in flavor. Not too fatty, not too lean, it works perfectly on a cheese board, or it’s a natural companion to a crusty baguette and a crisp Champagne.

Dorothy’s Keep Dreaming

Dorothy’s Cheese www.dorothyscheese.com

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A complex and flavorful brie made from full-bodied cow milk and crème fraiche. Flavors are bright and buttery, and the cheese has a silky smoothness and a long finish.

Kroon Cablanca Goat Cheese

FrieslandCampina 551.497.7300 www.frieslandcampina.com www.kroon.com

Gold Award at 2018 World Cheese Championship, Gold in 2013 World Cheese Awards

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Made from 100 percent pure goat milk that’s mild and creamy and matured for five weeks. Great on a cheese board or in a recipe.

Le Cabrie

Montchevre 310.541.3520 www.montchevre.com

Gold Award at 2018 World Cheese Championship, Gold in 2013 World Cheese Awards

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Le Cabrie is a soft-ripened goat milk Brie-style cheese.

Rawstruck

Coach Farm 518.398.5325 www.coachfarm.com

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Decadent raw milk, soft-ripened goat cheese with flavors of earthy mushroom and hints of citrus.

Tomino

Nicasio Valley Cheese Company 415.662.6200 www.nicasiocheese.com

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Made in 3-inch rounds and aged for five weeks, Tomino is a delicate, lightly-washed soft-ripening cheese with a robust, pleasant flavor.

National and state awards

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A washed-rind cheese similar to a full-flavored, pleasantly pungent Italian Taleggio. Dominant flavors are notes of sauteed onion, mushrooms and garlic. Available in random weight 4.5-pound blocks and 6-ounce pieces.

Multiple Awards including gold medals at the World Cheese Awards in 2014 and 2015 and silver and bronze awards at the World Cheese Awards in 2018 and a 2nd place in the World Champion Cheese Awards in 2018

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Roth Grand Cru Reserve is a washed-rind Alpine-style classic that is handcrafted in authentic copper vats with Wisconsin cow milk and then aged for six months or more. The result is an awardwinning cheese that’s earthy, nutty and savory with hints of caramel, pineapple and walnut.

WASHED RIND CHEESES Nicasio Square

Nicasio Valley Cheese Company 415.662.6200 www.nicasiocheese.com

Roth Grand Cru Reserve

Emmi Roth 608.285.9800 www.rothcheese.com

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The Cheese Guide