Melting for marketshare

When operations consider making cheese from their milk and they weigh everything that comes with it – adding a creamery or the necessary facilities, finding a market niche – it’s tempting to stick to what is known: cheddars, jack cheeses, Swisses. However, a recent Penn State Extension webinar moderated by educator Sarah Cornelisse suggested there’s market value in unconventional cheese varieties, highlighted through the experiences and successes of three cheesemakers.

“Why non-traditional?” she asked. It helps develop market diversity, connects with new customer bases and helps meet existing customer demand, she maintains. Americans love cheese – roughly 40 lbs./person is consumed annually, per USDA-ERS. Additional ERS data pointed to interesting trends since the pandemic too – purchasing declines of mainstays like cheddar and increases in non-traditional options. Hispanic-type cheeses are up 19.9%; blue cheeses, 11.8%; and imported cheese not from cows, 57.1%.

The 2024-25 retail calendars saw increases across the board (roughly 18% – 34%) in sales of paneer cheeses, burrata and various quesos (quesadilla, panela and cotija).

Market research is helpful. The business owner must telegraph customers’ needs and wants. Where is the customer located in relation to the business? What does the customer value? What drives their motivations and preferences? What price mark will the customer be willing to pay? What is the anticipated market demand?

There are many tools out there to help. Cornelisse suggested Headwaters Economics, which provide helpful socioeconomic data. USDA’s NASS and ERS are also good resources. Beyond those connections, there is a proliferation of resources available those in custom processing, with input from industry experts, social media assets and more.

Trends are helpful to gauge the current state of the cheese market. According to Cornelisse’s research, “bold, spicy and sweet” are the go-to flavors of the moment, noting the red chili paste Harissa and ghost peppers as influences. Flavor fusions like mango habanero are popular as well. Ethnic influences are also enjoying a moment – think flavors like olives or wasabi.

Travel can also inform trends, such as “ancestral travel” (traveling to the geographical area one’s family originated in) and the idea of “grocery store tourism” – shopping outside of the lines of cultural tradition to have a unique culinary experience.

Jason Frye is head cheesemaker and co-owner of Pleasant Lane Farms in Latrobe, PA. A multi-generation dairy, their creamery opened in 2020. A mainstay product is Quark, “a timeless European staple … Quark is a fresh, soft, spreadable cheese made by gently transforming milk into cheese overnight, resulting in a smooth, versatile texture that’s naturally high in protein and low in fat.” Frye likened it to a “German-style cream cheese.”

Production spawned somewhat by accident against the chaotic backdrop of the pandemic, filling a market gap when traditional cream cheese was in short supply. “It lends itself very nicely to augmentation,” said Frye, utilizing the apiaries on the farm to add honey to one variety. Another incorporates jalapeños.

“The challenge [can be] the marketing around it,” he added. “It’s one of those where we sort of have to build the market one person, one store at a time.” While there might be some initial hesitation, once the product is tried, it wins over customers. He noted a growing demand from restaurants, and Pleasant Lanes’ own storefront offers the cheese in various formats (like chocolate-covered Quark bites).

Molly Moffett had relocated in 2022, an intern for the Lamb family of Oakfield Corners Dairy, with show cattle in her sights, not cheesemaking. The Lambs wanted to diversify, but the creamery hadn’t materialized yet. They extended an offer to Molly; in a few short years, she was cheese operations manager for Oakfield Artisanal in Oakfield, NY.

Oakfield wasn’t initially sure what niche to pursue, finding limitations or constraints with ice cream, yogurt and fluid milk sales. Research at local grocery stores yielded some interesting results: Hispanic-type cheeses could be the answer. There was demand as New York State has an extensive Hispanic population (21%).

Hispanic-type cheeses require special care due to disease susceptibility. It wouldn’t involve bringing a new cheese to market so much as meeting an existing market need. Sourcing base recipes, Molly’s team leaned on Hispanic employees at Oakfield to curate the recipes, tweaking them until perfection. Oakfield Artisanal would eventually bring three cheeses to market: Queso Chihuahua (a semi-soft melting cheese similar to mild Monterey Jack, sometimes referred to as queso quesadilla); Queso Oaxaca (a semi-soft, stringy cheese similar to mozzarella); and Queso Fresco (a popular Mexican-style cheese that’s mild, soft and moist, with just a slight tang).

Moffett sees a lot of those grocery tourism trends, especially through farm market sales and other avenues where customers can seek out cheeses they might not otherwise buy. It’s a growing subset of the market, but there are certainly still challenges around marketing and a lack of product education when it comes to these Hispanic cheese varieties.

Kasbo’s Middle Eastern Kitchen’s website promises to “liberate your taste buds” with authentic Levantine flavors, and that’s what Benita Kasbo seeks to do. Born in Aleppo, Kasbo crafts Jibneh, an authentic Syrian cheese. It is a fresh cheese made from whole milk curd and cured in salt. The secret ingredient? Mahleb, a native seasoning made from the seeds of St. Lucie cherry pits. Her products are currently in specialty groceries in the New Jersey and New York. Her target customer is the non-Middle Eastern cheese lover looking to enjoy authentic flavors.

Co-manufacturing was a great help for her startup. She was able to partner with a cheesemaker who was already in production with Italian- and Greek-type products rather than procuring a standalone creamery facility. She also found success early on in strategic partnerships, like partnering with a local artist. She (and the Kasbo’s brand) remains collaborative. She noted partnerships with the New York Jets and Chobani through Chobani Café. “You never know what’s possible or what’s out there,” she said.

In a market that is dealing with mounting pressure from tariffs and other stressors, diversification remains a key market point – and unorthodox cheeses might be just the ticket for producers looking to shake things up.

by Andy Haman