UNFI has announced that its recent expansion to a second warehouse has doubled the size of its American Artisan Cheese and Specialty Program, an initiative designed to elevate artisanal cheese producers from family farms across the U.S.
The second warehouse will serve customers across the Pacific Northwest, increasing the number of retailers in this network to over 200. Customers using the program can order from small-scale producers in Vermont, Missouri, Indiana, and California. These products are flown directly from these farms to the warehouses.
“Our team of certified cheese professionals took their passion for craft on the road across the country to discover some of the best cheeses from small, family-run farms. Our American Artisan Cheese and Specialty Program gives UNFI customers a truly distinct category offering to make their cheese cases stand out,” said Rebekah Baker director of cheese & specialty at UNFI, in a statement. “We’re not only proud of the quality of producers in our program and the support we’re able to give to elevating local farms, but also by the unique way that we’re able to deliver on freshness.”
In its support of American cheese, UNFI cheese specialist Carlos Souffront will judge an upcoming American Cheese Society competition. The company will also donate refrigerated trailers to store over 6,000 pounds of cheese for the event’s use.
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