A major player in the blue cheese category, Saputo Cheese USA, a division of Montreal-based Saputo Inc., will continue to focus attention on its Stella line of Italian-style cheeses, its Montchevre brand of fresh chevre and artisanal goat cheeses and wide array of blue cheese offerings, says Jessica Sharma, marketing specialist.

In addition, at IDDBA, Saputo highlighted four hand rubbed flavored cheeses packed under the company’s Stella Fontinella line, Sharma says.

Saputo will also continue to educate its customers about new packaging for its Stella blue and gorgonzola wedges that provides quick and easy solutions for entertaining or at-home dining.

Three industry trends will continue to focus Saputo’s efforts as it heads into the second half of 2019, Sharma says:

·          Clean Labels:  “Consumers make decisions in-store quickly and need for information to be clearly presented to them in an easy-to-understand fashion. We use a number of techniques to accomplish this. For example, our Montchevre brand’s fresh goat logs are non-GMO certified so we clearly place that certification logo on the front label for consumers to easily see. Similarly, we’re offering some of our more traditional cheeses in organic offerings to fulfill consumer demand. We’re proud to offer both Organic Parmesan and Organic Fresh Mozzarella under our Stella brand.”

·          Ethnic/Global flavors:  “We’re seeing an increased interest in well-rounded, full flavors and have launched four new items to address this:  our Stella Fontinella rubbed wedges in Harissa, a smoky/spicy North African pepper paste; Basil Pesto; Bourbonista, a tasty blend on bourbon and coffee flavors; and Black Pepper.”

·          Snacking/Entertaining:  “Snacking has been a trendy word, but we’re seeing more consumer interest in easy-to-use formats like cubes. We offer our award-winning cheeses in innovative packaging solutions to help consumers with busy, on-the-go lifestyles enjoy delicious cheese in an easy-to-serve fashion.”