The past year has been a rollercoaster ride for the cheese category. While the COVID-19 pandemic drastically reduced demand for cheese in foodservice, the category’s growth at retail was extensive, notes Kelly Slentz, associate brand manager, cheese for La Farge, Wis.-based Organic Valley.
“Pre-COVID-19, retail cheese saw slow and steady growth as a mature category,” she explains. “Due to COVID-19, we saw that change drastically, with 2020 sales up double digits compared to 2019.”