-By James Mellgren

In the cellar, sheep's milk cheeses
Soak in cold brine.
Once a week, a man comes to turn them.
Sixty pounds lifted like child after child,
lain back re-wrapped
in their clothes on the wooden shelves.
The shelves are nameless, without opinion or varnish.
The wheels are only sheep's milk, not ripening souls.
He sings no lullabye to them. But his arms know the weight.
(Sheep's Cheese by Jane Hirshfield, a San Francisco poet)

The cheese business changes and yet it stays essentially the same. As one of our oldest foods, made more or less the same way for thousands of years, it's easy to take the stand that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And yet it's hard to ignore the trends that affect the industry each year, from new flavors to nutritional advances to public perception. Trends come and go, of course, and one needn't follow them slavishly, but it's a good idea to know what they are and then you can decide which ones have merit and which ones are mere flashes in the pan. For example, in recent years, we've seen the nutritional wave roll from low-fat cheeses to cheeses that can actually lower one's cholesterol to the newest trend of adding probiotics to cheese and other foods. Surely someone somewhere is hard at work trying to develop a cheese that makes you lose weight, reduce plaque and grow thick hair on top of your head. Of course, most of us still love cheese for the flavor and texture and its inherent nutritional qualities, but then whatever helps to sell cheese is a good thing. A recent study by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) revealed that 89 percent of those polled define themselves as "cheese lovers," up from 82 percent in 2004. The study also showed that taste far outweighed all other attributes in selecting cheese. Taste aside, however, there are other trends affecting our industry that cheesemongers everywhere should know about.



Food for Health
American consumers are increasingly looking to their daily food for health. This, of course, should not be so surprising or radical an idea. After all, we eat to live as much as some of us live to eat. Nevertheless, one of the biggest trends today in the cheese industry is in healthful additives such as the aforementioned probiotics (think opposite of antibiotics). Probiotics work by introducing live bacteria strains such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium into the digestive tract, effectively restoring the balance of microflora in the system. According to the WMMB, research shows that probiotics may help prevent a variety of conditions including allergies, asthma, eczema, autoimmune issues and gastrointestinal distress. The WMMB cited a report from Food Business Review showing an increased interest in adding probiotics to diets, as well as a study by New Nutrition Business that called digestive health the No. 1 marketing trend for 2008. Manufacturers and associations like WMMB are now working to establish industry standards to protect the integrity of their products, including issues like storage directions, labeling of bacteria strains, directions for use, and company contact information.

None of the current nutraceutical trends is unique to cheese. I read recently about manufacturers adding probiotics (the new black) and omega-3 acids (last year's black) to a range of foods that includes peanut butter, ketchup, salsa, cooking oils and chocolate. When Hippocrates said that one should look for their medicine in the soup pot, I'm not sure this is what he had in mind; but for many people who are finding relief while still being able to eat their favorite foods, this is a trend worth following.

Try It, You'll Like It
According to research conducted by DPI Specialty Foods, the average American today consumes over 32.5 pounds of cheese each year. Of course, a good percentage of this is due to restaurant fare like pizza and sandwiches, in establishments ranging from fast food to fine dining. This new wave of cheese appreciation -- by chefs and consumers -- has made possible cheesy eateries like Artisanal in New York and Osteria Mozza, Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton's place in Los Angeles that was inspired by the glories of fresh mozzarella (hey, it's as good a theme as any, I say).

Fortunately, a good deal of all that cheese is still sold at retail, and those sales figures continue to climb. Some categories, according to DPI, such as grated and crumbled cheese varieties, string and stick cheese, cubed cheese, and natural cheese slices have seen sales go up as much as 17 percent. While sales of basic cheeses like cheddar, mozzarella and Monterey Jack have been flat, cheeses that were once thought to be strictly specialty like feta, blue cheese and particularly goat cheese varieties have seen double-digit growth over the past 10 years. DPI points out that recipes that would have once called for "Parmesan" are now specifying Parmigiano-Reggiano. Much of this is due to restaurant menus, food on television and increased travel abroad, especially to major cheese-producing countries like Italy, Spain and France. But I still believe that it has been the impartation of information from specialty retailers that has been at the forefront of the surge in cheese awareness and education. In fact, retailers laid the groundwork of knowledge for the chefs who in turn took these ideas with them to food television. Research by the WMMB seems to confirm this, too, as consumers say that sampling cheese in the store and then trying them at home in various ways is more significant for them than restaurants as a place to experience new cheese varieties. They also say that the biggest barrier to trying a new cheese is the fear they won't like it. If you can convince your customers to try new cheeses, and in so doing build a trust between you and your clientele, your cheese sales will grow proportionately.

The Flavor Factor
Adding flavorings to cheese is nothing new. Cheesemakers have been enhancing their cheeses with various herbs and spices for centuries. The choice and variety of flavorings, however, has become a modern phenomenon. At last summer's Fancy Food Show, I tasted cheeses flavored with chilies, wine, spirits (whiskey and vodka), beer, cacao, garlic, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, peppercorns, sea salt, bee pollen, cinnamon, honey, horseradish, assorted fruits, dill, bell peppers, truffles -- the list goes on and on with new flavors coming into the marketplace all the time. Consumers love flavored cheeses because they can jazz up their favorite sandwiches, salads and other dishes with virtually no effort and without having to buy added ingredients. Manufacturers and retailers like them because they allow them to easily introduce new products by simply adding new ingredients to existing cheeses. Everybody wins.

Another flavor factor that can't be ignored, and one that may be the most important of all, is that increasingly Americans are opting for bigger and bolder flavors in all their food and beverage choices. In foodservice, consumers are embracing spicy cuisines like those of Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa. At retail, shoppers are boosting sales of hot sauces and salsas, fresh and dried chilies, and various spicy ready-to-eat meal options, many of which feature the foods of India and Thailand. Cheeses, too, are heating up with several producers infusing their products with the heat of various types of chilies.

Heat is not the only way consumers are cozying up to big flavored cheeses, however. Artisanal, handmade cheeses are one of the fastest-growing categories of cheese, and as I pointed out earlier, blue cheeses and goat cheese have been enjoying double-digit growth for several years now. Assertive washed-rind cheeses, bold raw-milk cheeses and extra aged varieties are among those that are favored by many of the new breed of artisan cheesemakers. The fact that most of these artisans are American cheesemakers bodes very well for the future of domestic cheese.

Mention must be made of the popularity of private-label cheese programs. Private-label products in general have been experiencing prolonged growth but cheeses have increasingly been a part of this wave. Consumers seem to trust private label, at least as far as they trust the store itself. In fact, the WMMB reports that research firm IRI has discovered that 75 percent of all U.S. consumers rate private-label offerings as excellent in overall quality. Big retail names like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods have been very successful with their private-label programs, through which they are further establishing their brand and unique identity. Retailers can feature information on their private label that highlights certain attributes of the cheese, such as artisan, all-natural, free-range and pasture-grazed -- merchandising that helps reinforce the company's mission statement.

All in all, it's a great time to be in the cheese business. Consumer awareness and general level of knowledge regarding cheese is at an all-time high. They are interested in where their food comes from and they often make purchasing decisions based on the point of origin, how the animals are raised and the overall impact on the environment. Your customers are very likely ready and willing to try new cheese varieties and new cheeses within more familiar varieties. They are much more accepting of bigger, bolder flavors and they are aware of and looking for health attributes in their food. All of this provides great opportunities to beef up your cheese selection and your bottom line. The things that set you apart as a merchant should be emphasized in your company signage, newsletters, Web sites and any other venue you have to communicate with your shoppers. They're hungry for the information, and chances are they are looking for reasons to be loyal to your store. Make sure you give them plenty.

Comments? mellgren56@gmail.com