Dairy Foods visits one cheesemaker’s green farmstead, explores another in the niche goat cheese market, and talks with a multinational, multiple-brand company seeing significant growth in the United States.
Chicago-based Bel Brands USA, makers of The Laughing Cow, Mini Babybel and Boursin cheese (among others) has become a rising star in the snacking and portable cheese category, having doubled its revenues in the last four years. Its Laughing Cow masterbrand (The Laughing Cow and Mini Babybel) is now America’s number one branded snacking cheese.
Bel Brands is a subsidiary of Fromageries Bel, headquartered in Paris, and has more than 350 SKUs, which also includes Merkts cold pack cheese, Kaukauna cheese balls and logs, Price’s Real Cheese Sandwich Spread, Owl’s Nest, and WisPride cheese. The global brands are sold all over the United States in over 90% of grocery stores. The products are also sold in warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club and mass merchandisers like Walmart and Target.