Achieving a standard in the artisan cheese category is one thing; helping to raise the bar across its influence is another feat entirely. Enter Schuman Cheese. With the company’s Dairy-free brand, Vevan, having just launched an all-new formulation this year, and Schuman’s Lake Country Dairy facility—which produces all its hard Italian cheese—achieving an amazing result at the World Cheese Contest in 2024, the future looks bright for this legacy operation. Keith Schuman, Plant-Based Business Unit Lead, joined me to share the details and the story behind the banner year.
“Demand for dairy-free options in retail and foodservice continues to grow. With Vevan, we are bringing new and innovative solutions to customers,” Keith begins. “Vevan is all about leveraging our nearly 80 years of cheesemaking experience to create a unique product that tastes and functions like the real thing. We consistently gather feedback from our customers and make continuous improvements. As a result, we have created this new formulation that tastes and performs better, is more nutritionally dense, and reduces our carbon footprint.”
Intrigued, I asked Keith to distill such a feat for me and for retail partners looking to make strides in the category.
“The biggest change in our new formulation is the use of pea milk instead of oil and starches. Starting with pea milk, albeit different from dairy, opens us up to use a more traditional and artisanal process like that of traditional dairy. It allows us to create a more wholesome product that has protein, is traditionally cultured, includes probiotics and calcium while improving the best-in-class flavor and performance that we were already known for,” he describes.
Now available nationwide and partnering with major banners such as Sprouts Farmers Market, Stop & Shop, Giant, and Meijer—the brand and product are impacting communities throughout the United States.
With regional partnerships with Costco, Gelson’s, and smaller natural and independent shops, Vevan's distribution footprint has retailers recommitting to cheese quality in the dairy-free sector.
Turning to Schuman’s Lake Country Dairy facility, which was recently honored by distinguished industry associations, Keith tells me that the team's dedication to excellence begins where the cheese does: at its origin.
“We are incredibly proud of our Lake Country Dairy Facility. This year, it has won 22 awards from the World Championship Cheese Contest and ACS (American Cheese Society). This includes the designation of Copper Kettle as the Best in Class and one of the top 20 cheeses in the world. This achievement demonstrates our commitment to exceptional cheese quality and solidifies our reputation as one of the premier cheesemaking facilities in the United States,” Keith reveals. “Located in the heart of America’s dairy land, Wisconsin, our skilled cheesemakers use traditional Old-World methods and are the only American producers crafting hard Italian cheese in traditional copper vats; this technique distinguishes our award-winning Copper Kettle Parmesan.”
So, how does this result further build on the Schuman Cheese mission and vision for success? It all comes down to the company’s core purpose: to enhance everyday eating experiences with the highest quality cheese.
“We strive to ensure our customers and consumers can enjoy the incredible cheeses we cherish and make them readily accessible. Lake Country Dairy stands as the epitome of our mission, consistently striving for quality and excellence to produce exceptional cheese every single day,” Keith expresses.
With a year full of amazing hallmarks and still a holiday season yet to experience, Schuman Cheese is hitting all the high notes in flavor, innovation, quality, and partnership.
