…And just like that, 2019 and the decade are coming to a close. We wish you a fantastic New Year’s Eve and coming new year, from everyone here at Forever Cheese. Thank you for your business and friendship – we are so appreciative of your support throughout the year and look forward to a joyful and fruitful 2020. We raise our glasses (and accompanying wedges of cheese) to you!
We’ve had quite a year. Here is our 2019 by the numbers:
30 wins at the World Cheese Awards, including 2 Super Golds
New 25% tariffs were imposed on European cheeses and other food products in retaliation for EU subsidies to Airbus. Our plan is to levy only the absolute necessary increases in hopes that the tariffs will end soon. We will monitor the situation going into the new year and will continue to do what we can to mitigate the increases. We hope that the entire specialty food community will support each other through this and advocate more than ever for the highest quality artisan products from Europe.
Celebrated 21 years of Forever Cheese!
Visited 20 producers in Italy, Spain, and Portugal, and welcomed several producers to our office in Long Island City
Introduced 18 new products, including new raw sheep’s milk cheeses from Murcia, Sbrisolona al Cioccolato, Dehesa Cordobesa® Sobrasada, and Taleggio Bergamasco
Croatian sheep’s milk cheese Paški Sir obtained a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) after a 14 year process
Commemorated 12 years of collaboration with Carbonfund.org, supporting renewable energy projects in the U.S. and abroad
Celebrated 5 of our 10 women-owned business partners in this very newsletter (more producer features to come in 2020)!
Redesigned packaging on 4 of our key lines: Mitica® nuts, Mitica® chocolate-covered fruits, Casa Forcello® mostardas and compotes, Mitica® Taralli crackers
Hosted 3 producers at this year’s Summer Fancy Food Show: Bruno and his family from Quattro Portoni, Nadia from Grupo Ganaderos de Fuerteventura, and Paola from Casa Forcello®
2 of our colleagues were inducted into the Guilde des Fromagers: Key Account Manager Jen López and Quality Control Manager Everett Presley
Won 1 Whole Foods Market Supplier Award for Raising the Bar for Quality
Spanish tradition dictates that on New Year’s Eve (Nochevieja), revelers eat one green grape on each strike of the clock at midnight, ensuring good luck for the year. May we suggest a nice lush Spanish cheese to pair with those grapes? Starting January 1 off with Leonora® all but guarantees an extremely lucky year.
