What is success without someone to share it with? In the case of Mariposa Dairy and Atalanta, the two have shared success after success for the better part of 20 years, culminating into 2020 and marking a dual milestone. This year, Mariposa crosses into its 30s while Atalanta marks 75 years in the business. How’s that for a power couple?
“It’s definitely been a huge partnership and a story of growth from where we started out on my parents’ farm to now. We’re now one of the largest goat milk providers in North America and this partnership has been a massive success,” William Vandenberg, Business Development Manager N.A. for Mariposa, shared.
Rosalie Marfuggi, Business Development Manager for Atalanta, agrees and sees this as an opportunity to show the confidence in the market Mariposa and Atalanta have built over the years.
“This year, Atalanta is thrilled to be celebrating its 75th anniversary alongside Mariposa’s 30th. The partnership has resulted in years of growth, and we’re looking forward to seeing what Mariposa does next. They are always looking ahead and currently have a lot in development,” Rosalie teased.
Last year, Mariposa and Atalanta launched holiday and seasonal offerings of flavored goat logs, with promises of something a little different than the rest of the goat cheese industry.
“Mariposa is a strong innovation house, and in 2020 we wanted to offer unique holiday flavors that you don’t see every day. Instead of traditional pumpkin spice, we introduced Celebrity spiced sweet potato, maple toffee, and amarena cherry,” Rosalie shared.
Mariposa is also growing its distribution formats. From traditional retail and foodservice packs to meal kit partnerships, it’s demonstrating flexibility at a time when variety is essential. The company is, in many ways, a far cry from the family farm William and his siblings grew up on, yet it’s managed to retain its local feeling of rooted appreciation consumers are connecting to every day.
“Mariposa is a local company with a local story and we tell that through the Celebrity family of products. More and more we see consumers caring about where their food comes from and we are delighted to tell the family story behind Mariposa and how this family has remained so connected to the goat farming community in Ontario,” Rosalie added.
As Mariposa dairy marks 30 years, William acknowledged crossing such a milestone in 2020 has been challenging but that the team has made the best of it and is taking away key learnings from shifts in the market and consumer needs to be able to offer solutions and innovative products in 2021.
“While it’s probably not the best year to be celebrating a 30th anniversary, 2020 has taught us a lot and we are more confident than ever in operating, servicing our customers, and developing new products,” William reflected.
Rosalie added, “Being able to innovate and pivot to meet market needs is what has gotten us to both 30 and 75 year milestones. The foodservice and retail channels are changing daily and we are focusing on items that meet the need to save time, save labor, and see multiple menu touchpoints. In 2021 we are launching crumbled trays in flavors that speak to classic goat cheese pairings like beet chive and tomato basil. The goal is to add layers of flavor with the convenience of one item.”
With so much up its sleeve, this milestone looks to be one on a long road. Congratulations to both Mariposa and Atalanta on a strong team and a cumulative 105 years!
