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www.gourmetnews.com n JUNE 2019 GOURMET NEWS 7 2 Consumer Interest in Natural, Local Products Drives Cheese Sales By Lorrie Baumann Quite apart from the possibility that cheese has actual addictive qualities, the creativity and drive of specialty cheesemakers are bringing American consumers back to the cheese counters and cases for more. Encour- aged by artisanal cheesemakers and specialty retailers, consumers have evolved how they're thinking about cheese, and it's gone from being an ingredient to a stand-alone snack or meal component to becoming the star of the cheese plate and now to pairing with both sweet and savory items, according to Nora Weiser, Executive Director of the American Cheese Society. They show no sign that they're getting a little bored with cheese, she said. "We look a lot philosophically at the trajectory of the craft beer industry," she said. "People don't tire of it. What they really like is the ability to have variety and try new styles and enjoy the seasonality of it. Cheese is on a very sim- ilar trajectory." According to the American Cheese Soci- ety's "2018 State of the U.S. Artisan/Spe- cialty Cheese Industry" report, issued just recently, three-quarters of the cheesemakers who responded to the survey conducted by the University of Missouri reported that growing consumer interest in U.S.-produced artisanal, farmstead and specialty cheese is important to their businesses. Almost 80 per- cent of them agreed that there's still room in the market for all U.S. artisanal, farmstead and specialty cheesemakers to increase their sales. And just as beer has addictive qualities, cheese might also. Scientists have identified that casein, the milk protein in cheese, re- leases casomorphins as it's metabolized by the body. Those casomorphins are opiates that attach to receptors in the brain and may cause a calming effect that could help ex- plain why macaroni and cheese is so often identified as a comfort food. But the attraction of cheese for consumers isn't limited to the comforting and familiar macaroni and cheese, and today's consumers are also interested in variety and uniqueness, and cheese fits nicely into that dynamic as well, Weiser said. "Cheese fits into many dif- ferent meals and different styles of cooking," she said. "Just about every country has some way of using cheese or cultured dairy prod- ucts in foods." "What we're seeing is a shift from com- modity cheeses and processed products to a more natural product – particularly for Mil- lennials, and that is going to be a huge driver," she added. Millennials, in particular, are looking for those more natural products, not just in cheese as a stand-alone item but also in foods that incorporate cheese, such as pizza, she added, "whether that's at a grocer where they're looking for something that's ready to eat or they're going to a restaurant." According to the state of the industry re- port, in 2017, 19 percent of the cheesemakers who responded to the 2018 survey were making solely artisan cheese, which is de- fined by the ACS as cheese produced prima- rily by hand in small batches with particular attention paid to the tradition of the cheese- maker's art, while 16 percent were making solely farmstead cheeses, which are made only from milk produced by the cheese- maker's own herd or flock and on the farm where the animals are raised. Another 5 per- cent of the respondents identified their cheese solely as specialty cheese, which is cheese made in limited quantities with par- ticular attention paid to natural flavor and texture profiles. All of those are distin- guished from what's referred to in the indus- try as commodity cheeses, which means cheeses that are produced in large volume using industrial manufacturing processes. For the cheesemakers who responded to the survey, the average artisan-only cheese- maker made 26,820 pounds of cheese in 2017, while the average farmstead-only cheesemaker made 46,581 pounds and the average specialty-only cheesemaker made 31,525 pounds. "Millennials are looking for more natural and wholesome products, stepping away from processed cheeses," Weiser continued. "They're interested in local products and in pairing local cheeses with other local prod- ucts such as charcuterie, beer, wine and cider." Hawaiian Host Showcases Mamoru Takitani Founder's Collection Hawaiian Host ® , Inc., a leading brand and producer of chocolate covered macadamias, is showcasing its Mamoru Takitani Founder's Collection™. Paying homage to Mamoru Takitani, Hawaiian Host's founder, the new Founder's Collection gift boxes – milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white choco- late, honey coated and matcha – are made with hand-selected whole macadamias and covered in premium chocolate. The Mamoru Takitani Founder's Collection captures the premium quality and authenticity of Hawai- ian Host products, delivering the same great taste with a new look. "At Hawaiian Host, we're committed to celebrating our rich Hawaiian heritage with products and packaging that delight and in- spire," said Helen Liew, Vice President of Marketing at Hawaiian Host, Inc. "The Founder's Collection 8-ounce milk chocolate covered macadamias, made with our secret blend of milk chocolate, is a staple of the Hawaiian Host brand. It's everyone's origi- nal favorite, now with a new look. With our new packaging, the Founder's Collection makes the perfect gift." Liew continued, "We are proud to shine the spotlight on our founder, Mr. Takitani, and his dream to create an original confec- tion unlike anything else, in our new line. A trusted and universally loved gift since 1927, we're confi- dent consumers will love Hawaiian Host's new Founder's Collection." About Hawaiian Host, Inc. Hawaiian Host, Inc., parent company to Hawaiian Host and Mauna Loa ® brands, is a leading manufacturer of pre- mium chocolate and macadamia nut snacks. Renowned for providing an authentic choco- late and macadamia nut experience, the iconic Hawaii company has been offering a variety of high-quality, delicious products, from fine confectionary gifts to indulgent snacks, for over 90 years. A dry roasting process decades in the making, combined with a commitment to premium ingredients, including hand-selected macadamias and a signature chocolate recipe, makes Hawaiian Host, Inc. a leader in the category and a favorite among chocolate and macadamia fans around the globe. Headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaiian Host, Inc. produces more than 40 unique pre- mium chocolate and macadamia nut snacks and distributes them to more than 25 coun- tries, with manufacturing facilities in Hawaii and Los Angeles. For more information, go to www.hawaiian host.com and www.maunaloa.com. Find the company on social media at www .facebook.com/HawaiianHostInc, www .instagram.com/hawaiianhostinc and www .twitter.com/HawaiianHostInc. Face Rock Brings Home a 2019 Good Food Award Face Rock Creamery was honored with a 2019 Good Food Award for its Clothbound Cheddar. The award, presented at the Janu- ary 11 Good Food Foundation gala celebra- tion, reflects Face Rock's dedication to creating hand-crafted cheese using responsi- ble production practices. Traditionally, clothbound cheddar is created by wrapping a cheddar wheel in cloth bandages, covering it in lard to form a natural rind, and aged. Face Rock takes a unique approach and coats its wheels in butter made on site at the creamery using the same milk that goes into the cheese. Wedges of Face Rock clothbound, aged at least 13 months, present a flaky, creamy texture flecked by the crunchy crystals that in- dicate a premium aged cheddar. "We are honored to bring home a Good Food Award alongside the nation's finest food artisans," shared Face Rock President Greg Drobot. "Clothbound is not commonly produced in America, but it is a favorite for anyone who loves a ched- dar experience that is beyond the norm. We're proud that our Clothbound is becoming known nation-wide as one of the best." Face Rock Clothbound Ched- dar was one of 220 winning prod- ucts that rose to the top from 2,035 entries. The Clothbound also brought home a gold medal at the 2018 American Cheese So- ciety Judging and Competition, making it a banner year for this rare style of cheese. Coolhaus Debuts Dairy-Free Line of Pints and Sammies Coolhaus has launched a dairy-free line of frozen desserts to go along with its premium ice creams and ice cream sandwiches. The plant-based SKUs launched into the retail market through Whole Foods last month, with additional retail distribution following. Thoughtfully crafted with the highest quality ingredients and superior creamy tex- ture the brand is famous for, the Coolhaus dairy-free line is made with a base that dif- ferentiates itself from other vegan ice cream brands on the market by introducing unique ingredients such as organic cocoa-butter, pea protein and organic whole grain brown rice. The dairy-free line will also continue the brand's endeavor to adopt more sustainable practices to keep the Earth healthy. Earlier this year, Coolhaus received a certificate from the Culver City Sustainable Business Pro- gram for its Going Green initiatives, and now the brand is channeling that same energy into dessert options with environmentally-con- scious and sustainably-sourced ingredients. Due to an ever-increasing demand for plant-based dessert alternatives, Coolhaus Chief Executive Officer and co-Founder Natasha Case set out to innovate the dairy- free ice cream category with Coolhaus' sig- nature inventive flavors. The dairy-free pint flavors include Salted Caramel Crunch, Dirty Mint Chip, Cookie Dough Lyfe, Chocolate Campfire S'Mores, Peanut Butter Fudge Chip, Chocolate Sandwich Cookie Crumb and Mocha Marcona Almond Fudge. The dairy-free cookie sandwich flavors in- clude Horchata with Snickerdoodle cookies, Dirty Mint Chip with double chocolate cook- ies, Tahitian Vanilla Bean with chocolate chip cookies, Cookie Dough Lyfe with chocolate chip cookies and Cookies and Cream with double chocolate cookies. Each pint is priced at $6.99, while the ice cream sandwiches are priced at $5.49. "We're really excited to launch a dairy- free line that's inclusive of plant-based diets without compromising on decadence," said Case. "Our dairy-free experience will be just as rich and self-indulgent as our dairy line, and we can't wait for vegan and dairy ice cream-lovers alike to taste it!"

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