Products featuring both plant- and dairy-based foods, among them The Laughing Cow Blends cheese spread line, are extending the dairy category
On Boarding
The popularity of charcuterie might have reached an apex during this past holiday season, when charcuterie gingerbread houses took social media by storm.
Even before the pandemic, charcuterie was trending. For the past few years, CPGs and retailers have shared ideas and created displays dedicated to building charcuterie boards, with cheese often playing a starring role alongside cured meats.
Similarly, cheese trays and boards have taken off. ”I think what has most benefited the artisan cheese category over the past year is the booming interest in composed cheese boards,” notes Janet Fletcher, publisher of the Planet Cheese blog and the author of several books on cheese. “Instagram has egged people on and made creating cheese boards almost a competitive sport.”
Ready-to-build and -serve charcuterie and cheese boards are enlivening the cheese category, appealing both to consumers who are still sticking close to home and those who are starting to entertain again. For instance, Columbus Craft Meats, a brand of Austin, Minn.-based Hormel Foods, now offers a prepackaged tasting board featuring Italian dry salami, Calabrese salami, white cheddar cheese slices, olives, dark chocolate-covered cranberries and multigrain crackers.
The popularity of charcuterie has also turned the spotlight on cheese flights. Fairfield, N.J.-based Schuman Cheese recently introduced ready-to-serve Cello Cheese Flights, refrigerated trays that include a flight of Copper Kettle, Pepper Jack Goat and Creamy Dill Rubbed Fontal cheese, and a flight of Asiago, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, and Dijon and Herb Rubbed Fontal.
On par with charcuterie and cheese flights, Hormel is focusing on the experiential enjoyment of cheese with a new Natural Choice Wine Pairing line. The single-use trays feature uncured salami, mozzarella cheese and dark chocolate-covered almonds that pair with white wine, and uncured sopressata, havarti cheese and dark chocolate-covered cherries designed to go with red wine.
Try One On
One of the most fun things about the cheese category within dairy is the plethora of products, spanning varieties of fresh cheeses (soft, semi-soft, hard and blue-veined, among others) as well as processed cheeses in a range of formats and flavors. For a food as mature as cheese, there are still many new takes on the form, from flavored varieties like Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Saputo Cheese USA’s new Jalapeño Honey Montchevre to a recently introduced line of lactose-free soft-ripened Briette cheeses from Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based Champignon North America Inc.
That said, while the expansive world of cheese is fun for foodies and those in the cheesemaking and retail industries, it can be overwhelming for some shoppers, especially those who are new to cooking.
When it comes to artisanal cheese, the retailer serves an important role. “Grocers have to invest in their staff to do a good job selling specialty and artisan cheese,” advises Fletcher, who is currently working on a training session for cheese counter staff at one Midwest grocery chain. “They need compelling signage and staff who are trained and informed. It pays off because knowledgeable and confident employees will sell more cheese.”
One drawback of the global health crisis is the elimination of sampling programs that would otherwise entice people to try different products. “It’s tough, because you can’t sample in an environment in which you are wearing a mask,” admits Richard.
In lieu of sampling, he suggests, a retailer might set up tables in an outside setting. Another idea is to create smaller sample packs that can be shared in store or via e-commerce. “There are some manufacturers working with retailers who are including individually wrapped pre-packaged samples with online orders,” says Richard. “It’s a great way to expose consumers to new varieties.”