Australian cheddar brand Old Croc has launched an individually wrapped snacking cheese option called Croc Bites, extending its imported offering in the US.
Abergavenny Fine Food Company has targeted a 120% increase in goat’s cheese products. “We have plans in place to expand further, not just in the UK but also internationally,” said finance director Kate Innes.
Brookfield Engineering has unveiled its TA-CEF cheese extensibility fixture to measure the stringiness of molten cheese.
US-based Sargento Foods has introduced Balanced Breaks, a snack pack combination of natural cheese, roasted nuts and dried fruits in 1.5oz individual packs.
Classic blue veined cheese Bath Blue, made by The Bath Soft Cheese Co, scooped top award last year at the World Cheese Awards.
Ice cream brand Mövenpick has launched a new American-style blueberry cheesecake flavour for the foodservice channel. Last year Ben & Jerry’s introduced a limited-edition flavour for Halloween: pumpkin cheesecake. Meanwhile, Dairy Crest recently extended its Frijj Supreme premium flavoured milkshake range to include the new flavour strawberry cheesecake.
Crisps with cheesy provenance – premium snack maker Burts Chips has teamed up with Guinness on a new stout and toasted cheddar cheese-flavoured crisp.
UK-based cheese supplier Dairygold Food Ingredients has invested £1.1m in a new slicing line at its site in Cheshire, to slice and pack cheese in shingle stack format for sandwich making, as well as with a nitrogen/oxygen gas flush, which will deliver a longer shelf life.
Dragon brand from South Caernarfon Creameries indicates growth in local cheeses: the company has recently invested £1m in expanding its cheese production facilities in Pwllheli, North Wales.
Epoisses de Bourgogne is one of the smellier cheeses but a personal favourite as its taste is quite delicious. Also a favourite on our cheese board last Christmas, it is now being stocked by many of the larger supermarkets as well as specialist cheese shops.
Fonterra Australia has invested NZD 141m ($93.9m) in the construction of a new cheese plant at its Stanhope factory, 145km north of Melbourne. The site will be capable of producing 45,000 metric tonnes of cheese each year including parmesan, gouda and mozzarella – an increase of 15,000 metric tonnes on the previous plant.
Goat’s cheese still peaking interest: Emmi has just bought a 60% stake in goat’s cheese maker Bettinehoever. Saputo acquired Woolwich Dairy last October, a manufacturer of branded and private label goat cheese in North America, for $80m in cash. Saputo Specialty Cheese has introduced goat’s cheese medallions under its Joan of Arc brand of traditional and flavoured goat’s cheeses.
Grated cheese growth: Netherlands-based Grozette produces a wide range of cheese products for the food industry, foodservice and retail including fresh and long-life cheese powders and grated cheese. Claire Phoenix previously spoke with Mark Eversteijn on growth in this sector and the company’s latest launches.
Lithuanian cheese brand Džiugas launched a new range of four gourmet grated cheese mixes for a range of different dishes.
Healthier crispy crumb finish from Harley Food Systems: this no fat crumb does not contain oil and can be used on cheddar and baked in a toaster for a handheld snack.
Halloumi-style: Greek food brand Odysea has launched its Saganaki Kefalotyri cheese in Waitrose to build upon the popularity of Cypriot halloumi. This authentic cheese is traditionally dipped in flour and then fried. Made using sheep’s and goat’s milk, it has a much richer flavour than halloumi and, when cooked, becomes soft inside and crispy on the outside. It is often cooked in Greek homes with eggs, and eaten straight from the pan.
Hispanic flavours on the up: Dairy Farmers of America’s Queso Fresco Mexicana and Queso Fresco Panela Fresca have introduced Hispanic flavours, which can be used in a variety of dishes as well as on their own in multiple serving options.
Irish convenience food manufacturer Greencore has invested $40m in its first US-based sandwich-making facility. Apparently it will use around 900 tonnes of Irish cheese.
Just 5% fat: independent cheese producer Wyke Farms has launched its new Fabulous 5 reduced-fat mature cheese, which contains just 5% fat.
KP Snacks’ bear-shaped snack brand Pom-Bear has announced the introduction of a new cheese flavour to its product line.
Lighter, lower calorie cheese snack: Claire Phoenix spoke with Evelina Dirzininkiene, export manager for Lithuanian Dairy Zemaitijos Pienas, on the launch of Svalya – a metallic wrapped light cream cheese choc bar snack.
Lower fat content: Arla Food Ingredients’ Nutrilac soft cheese solution and Fonterra’s reduced-fat Noble cheddar both provide low fat content for cheeses, without compromising the soft and sensory experience and creamy texture.
Mature cheese flavours are on the rise according to latest research by Mintel. Consumers are enjoying hard cheese such as parmesan and more mature cheddars than in the past.
Market fragmentation: The world’s five largest cheese brands hold less than a 10% share of an increasingly fragmented market, says research company Canadean.
Noodlicious – Pot Noodle has just launched a mac and cheese flavour 90g pot.
No Sweat – Pack-Age from DSM helps cheese last longer and ripen naturally without mould and yeast growth.
Obesity reduction: scientists reported last April that cheese could actually help consumers to combat obesity as it increases the body’s levels of an anti-inflammatory fatty acid that is proven to improve metabolism, maintain body fat percentages and even prevent the development of obesity. Published in April 2015’s Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, the study was from researchers at the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus.
Tetra Pak has completed the acquisition of cheese production equipment provider Obram, as the cheese sector shows promising signs of future growth.
Pizza ropes using restricted melt technology: Oruna Ingredients UK, formerly Meadow Cheese and The Cheese Warehouse, has extended its Palatina Taste Partners brand of cheese ingredients with the launch of chilled low melt cheese ropes for stuffed crust pizzas.
Quescrem of Spain – this company has created a unique range of cream cheeses for use in foodservice. Well worth checking them out!
Quesadilla Jalapeno is a smooth, soft cheese made with cow’s milk and real jalapeño peppers. It is a well-balanced cheese with an extra zesty pepper flavour and a creamy mouthfeel. It can be shredded, melted or pulled in strings for using in spicy dishes such as enchiladas, rellenos, tacos, nachos, scrambled eggs, spicy fundido with longaniza.
Resealable steals the show: flexible packaging manufacturer Bemis has released a new recloseable, resealable packaging solution using materials from chemical giant DuPont. Bemis developed the SmartTack EX Peel Reseal technology for Wisconsin-based cheese producer BelGioioso’s mild provolone cheese. It has two individually sealed compartments that can be continually peeled and resealed preserving freshness.
Sartori’s citrus-ginger BellaVitano cheese (a winner in the World Dairy Innovation Awards) contains a blend of spices, including ginger, onion, garlic and red bell pepper.
Squeezy cheese for charity: primula cheese introduced a series of limited-edition tubes emblazoned with the phrase “just say cheese”, as part of a two-month fundraising campaign for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. The tubes of soft cheese were on shelf at all current stockists of Primula’s core chilled range, with 20% of profits from each sale going to the charity, which organises dream experiences for children with life-threatening medical conditions. Flavours include ham, original, prawns, chives and a light version.
Truffle variants: Netherlands-based premium cheese producer Landana has announced the introduction of two “unique” varieties of cheese including unique black truffle and forest fruit variants.
Ugo Foods launched a special edition beetroot and goat’s cheese fiorelli pasta to support Breast Cancer Care. The beetroot was marinated in pomegranate and mint relish.
US–based WhiteWave Foods’ Horizon Organic brand has launched a new Cheese Shapes snacking range, in cheddar and Colby varieties. The former takes the shape of stars and flowers, while the latter comes in square and triangle shapes. Both cheeses are sold in 5.5oz bags and contain approximately 110 calories, 9g of fat and 180mg of sodium per 1oz serving.
Violet Hill Cheeses include Blue D’Auvergne, Tome au Marc and Crottin de Chavignol. An interlocking balsa wood packaging concept was created by New York designer Rong Yan by bending this to echo the Hill name.
Dellugo’s beetroot fiorelli.
Variety packs: Cathedral City has bolstered its cheese portfolio with the Cathedral City Selections British cheese variety pack. The pack includes four individually wrapped pieces of red leicester and double gloucester cheeses, as well as six pieces of Cathedral City mature.
Wensleydale cheese has a strong link to Wallace & Gromit; as Sandra Bell explained, “we all know that Wallace’s favourite cheese is Wensleydale! However we knew nothing of this until we received a cryptic message on a postcard on Christmas Eve of 1995 from Vernon Sproxton, the father of David Sproxton, who set up Aardman Animations with Peter Lord, saying that it would be in our interest to tune in to watch the Wallace & Gromit short film A Close Shave, which was to be aired that evening”. The Wallace & Gromit gift boxes and cheeses were created and are popular with our Wensleydale cheese consumers and Wallace & Gromit fans to this day.
Xynotyro is a Greek cheese made using whey from sheep’s or goat’s milk. It is a hard and flaky cheese with a pungent aroma. Made by draining and curing whey in reed baskets and allowing it to mature in animal skin bags it contains only 20% fat making it one of the most delicious low-fat cheeses.
A yogurt and feta cheese spread has been developed by Greek food brand Odysea. The new spread has been produced by Greek feta cheese maker Roussas Dairy, and uses only pasteurised sheep’s milk and real Greek yogurt for an authentic and great tasting product. Suitable for vegetarians, the spread is available in 180g plastic tubs. It joins Odysea’s portfolio of feta products, which include organic feta cheese, barrel-aged feta cheese and 100% sheep’s milk feta cheese.
Zanetti Parmigiano Reggiano is the king of parmesans and used in food preparation by chefs worldwide as well as eaten with fruit and crackers or sprinkled onto pasta dishes and soup – made from milk from cows with a diet containing no silage. It is best aged to a minimum of 18 months to three years.
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