Cheese and Dairy

Maple Brown Sugar Goat Milk
Coach Farm has trimmed the fat, up to 62 percent on its current line of Goat Milk Yogurt’s to meet growing consumer demand for products lower in fat and calories. A new Maple Brown Sugar will join the current natural flavor line up of Plain, Honey, Vanilla and Strawberry. The revamped line will replace the current yogurt line starting July 1. All five flavors will be available nationally to retailers in 6-ounce containers with a SRP of $1.99. The plain flavor will continued to be offered to foodservice in 3-pound bulk containers. For more information, call 518-398-5325, visit coachfarm.com or visit FFS Booth #3814.

Organic Valley American Singles
Organic Valley, a cooperative of organic farmers based in La Farge, Wis., is introducing Organic Valley American Cheese Singles – unprocessed, 100 percent real organic cheese slices. American singles are the No. 1 selling cheeses SKU in the U.S., with more than 300 million pounds sold in 2010. Organic Valley American Singles are gluten-free and produced without antibiotics, synthetic hormones or GMOs. Organic Valley American Singles are real cheese pre-sliced off a block of mild, organic Colby-style cheeses, divided with slips of earth-friendly parchment to prevent sticking. Each 8-ounce package has a SRP of $5.69 and will be available in June. For more information, call 888-444-MILK, visit www.organicvalley.coop

Finca Pascualete Mini Torta
Finca Pascualete Mini Torta is a unique, raw sheep’s milk torta from Extremadura, Spain. Finca Pascualete’s exceptional and pure raw milk comes from its own flock of Extremadura Merino sheep. Located in an optimal environment of more than 4,000 hectares it is one of the largest private properties in the Southeastern part of Spain.

The Finca Pascualete Mini Torta is made using a vegetable rennet (cardoon) and salt. The Torta’s flavor is delicate yet distinctive, well defined and persistent on the palate, with hints of the pistils of the blue wild flower used in the curdling. Each 5-ounce piece has a SRP of $13. Available in June. This cheese received a 2012 silver sofitm finalist award for best new product. For more information, contact The Rogers Collection, Portland, Maine, at 207-828-2000, visit www.therogerscollection.com or visit FFS Booth #5452.

Bent River Camembert
Named after a sharp turn in the Minnesota River, Bent River Camembert is made from organic milk sourced exclusively from a nearby dairy farm. After production, cheeses are matured for between five and six weeks. Bent River Camembert has rich, clean and buttery flavors with hints of late summer grass and mushrooms. Each wheel weighs approximately 13-16 ounces. SRP: ranges from $26.99 to $30.

Available through Food Matters Again in Brooklyn, N.Y., at 646-688-3617, or call Alemar Cheese Co., at 507-385-1004, visit alemarcheese.com.

Cave Aged Vermont Leyden, 4-Year Cheddar
Grafton’s Vermont Leyden, part of the company’s Cave Aged line of cheeses, has a big, buttery flavor and texture, brightened with the warmth of cumin seeds. This cows’ milk cheese, which is aged for a minimum of two months in Grafton’s cave aging facility, mellows with age while growing in complexity. Grafton Village Cheese’s Cave Aged Vermont Leyden cheese is a silver finalist for Outstanding Cheese in the 2012 sofi awards. Grafton Cave Aged cheeses are available based on the season, local milk supply and Cheesemaker Dane Huebner’s feel for what will meet the standard. Other cheeses in the line include: Bismark is a sheep’s milk cheese named after a legendary Vermont ram from the 19th century; Truffled Bismark contains white and black truffles along with truffle infused olive oil; Vermont Barndance, a semi-hard sheep’s and cow’s milk cheese; Clothbound Cheddar; Naked Cheddar, a cheddar that is not wrapped in cloth or wax. It reaches maturity quickly, achieving a delicate mushroomy palate after just 60 days. Also, a Four Year Aged Cheddar is now available. It has a pronounced, mature flavor, smooth finish and a drier, crumbly texture. The product is available in Grafton Village and Tavern Select lines. For more information call 802-843-2211, visit graftonvillagecheese.com, visit FFS Booth #6151.

Cusie in Chestnut Leaves
This Italian cheeses from Beppino Occelli is a mixed-milk cheese – either from sheep’s and cow’s milk or goat and cow’s milk – from animals that are free to roam the pastures in the summer months. This hard cheese is aged 18-24 months and wrapped in chestnut leaves giving the cheese a unique flavor. Pairs well with dark beers. For more information, contact Beppino Occelli at www.occelli.it Imported by Atalanta Corp., Elizabeth N.J. 908-372-6006, and Fresca Italia, Brisbane Calif., 415-468-9800.

Greek Yogurt
Alpina Revive brings a unique twist on traditional Greek yogurt by combining gluten-free granola mix-ins. Alpina Revive has 15 grams of protein in every cup. It contains only milk and active yogurt cultures, and contains no artificial ingredients, sweeteners or flavors. Alpina Revive is available in four flavors: plain, blueberry, honey, and mango. SRP: $1.59
For more information, call Alpina, based in Miami, at 305-456-1748 or visit www.alpina.com

CHEESEMONGER CERTIFICATION

ACS Introduces Certified Cheeses Professional Exam
Test to give professional accreditation for a growing number of cheese professionals
On Aug. 1, the American Cheeses Society (ACS) will conduct the first Certified Cheese Professional Exam (CCPE) in Raleigh, N.C.

ACS’ Jane Bauer, who has been working on the exam along with a team of ACS volunteers, says the exam has been in development for seven or eight years and covers topics such as cheese styles, wrapping techniques, different cultures and rennet.

The CCPE was established to encourage improved standards of comprehensive cheeses knowledge and service, offering professionals in the cheese industry the opportunity to earn the title of ACS Certified Cheeses Professional™, or ACS CCP™.

All 150 seats for the first exam, which cost $500, sold-out quickly without much promotion, and cheese professionals have already begun signing up for the 2013 exam at the ACS conference in Madison, Wis.

“We did an email blast and posted info on the website,” said Bauer about the organization’s promotion techniques for the inaugural exam. “It’s been so long in development, there has been pent up demand for it.”

To help cheese professionals prepare for the 150-question, multiple-choice exam, the ACS produced an informational webinar, which is available on-demand on the group’s website, that provides information on how to prepare, what to expect on exam day, and included a few sample questions. In addition to the webinar that’s available on demand, the group’s website also includes a Cheese Industry Body of Knowledge that was compiled by ACS volunteers and a suggested list of books and online resources.

To prepare their cheesemongers for the test, some retailers have formed study groups, says Bauer.

American Cheese Society
The American Cheese Society (ACS), the Boulder, Colo.-based association of cheesemakers, retailers, marketers and caseophiles, keeps tabs on the U.S. and Canadian cheese market. Last year, for the first time, the group surveyed cheesemakers in the U.S. and Canada. (see sidebar.)

The annual ACS competition, which evaluates more than 30 categories of cheese, butter and dairy products, is a bellwether for the specialty cheese and dairy industry, reflecting trends and harbingering new ones.

Last year, a record-breaking 1,676 cheeses were submitted for judging, up from 1,462 in 2010. Not only were there more cheeses, but also more companies participated. In 2011 there were 258 companies from the U.S. and Canada, up from 225 the year prior.

This year’s competition and conference, schedule for Aug. 1-7 in Raleigh, N.C., is expected to be another success.

“We anticipate this year’s competition being even larger,” says Rebecca Orozco, ACS marketing and communications manager.

The Trends
Over the past two years there’s been a 161 percent increase in the number of mixed-milk cheeses, and a 60 percent increase in sheep’s milk cheeses. During the same period, there was “a nominal decline” in the number of goat’s milk cheeses, says Orozco.

“Our best guess is that consumers are becoming more adventurous, and cheesemakers have more opportunity to experiment,” explains Orozco.

For cheesemakers working with mixed-milk cheeses allows them to experiment with a broader range of flavors, and stretch the coveted supply of sheep’s milk and goat’s milk.

Today’s caseophiles are “much more open to styles of cheeses they’ve not tried before. The cheesemaker is responding to that to a certain extent,” Orozco says. “Plus, cheesemakers are interested in growing their product lines.”

It’s also interesting to note there’s been a 45 percent increase in washed-rind cheeses, which are renowned for their pungency and full flavors.

Another hot spot in the artisan cheese industry is raw milk cheese. Last year, there was a 14 percent increase in the number of raw milk cheeses judged. According to the 2011 ACS Cheesemaker Survey – the first survey of its kind conducted by ACS – 57 percent of cheesemakers produce raw milk cheese.

Cheesemakers At a Glance
The American Cheese Society (ACS) conducted the first comprehensive survey of cheesemakers in the United States and Canada in April 2011.

The estimated population of cheesemakers in the United States and Canada as of April 2011 is 851 and 323 participated in the anonymous survey. The confidence level of the survey results is 95 percent and the confidence interval is +/- 4.3 percent.

64 percent produce cheese made from cow’s milk, while 51 percent produce cheese from goat’s milk. Only 15 percent produce cheese from sheep’s milk. Just 1.5 percent of cheesemakers use buffalo’s milk, and less than 0.5 percent use yak’s milk.

Most cheesemakers produce more than one type of cheese. The average cheesemaker produces at least two types of cheese, including aged, fresh, soft and/or ripened, semi-soft or blue cheese.

When asked about the state of the industry,m any cheesemakers indicated concern with the state and future of raw milk cheese. They are also wary of the potential for change in the FDA’s oversight of raw milk cheese. Others worry that small-scale cheesemakers might be left behind in the future and that the focus within the industry might shift to larger-scale operations.
Source: 2011 ACS Cheesemaker Survey

Fact Fact:
67 percent of cheesemakers launched their business in 2000 or later.
Source: 2011 ACS Cheesemaker Survey

Fact Fact:
There are an estimated 851 cheesemakers in the US and Canada.
Source: 2011 ACS Cheesemaker Survey

Cheese with Bill & Sheila

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