California’s oldest family-owned cheese company announced the official launch of its Farm to School Organic Cheese Program. Rumiano Cheese Company reported it will supply schools with nutrient-dense, healthy organic cheese for students, designed to serve K-12 schools throughout the state of California. The program is currently underway serving 10 school districts and impacts over 50,000 students daily.
“What a privilege it was to spend a magical day on the farm with an inspiring, collaborative community dedicated to bringing fresh, local, and organic food to school cafeterias,” said Joe Baird, Chief Executive Officer. “Our aim is for this pioneering effort to serve as a model across the West, acting as a catalyst for local food systems—helping farmers, producers, and processors introduce their products to the K-12 market. Together, we are sowing the seeds for a healthier future, nurturing not just our children but the entire community.”
Rumiano recently hosted its Farm to School Summit to help foster a community-led movement that promotes local sourcing of organic food for K-12 school cafeterias, alongside partners and representatives from Alice Waters Institute, Chef Ann Foundation, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The event brought together 25 local farmers, thought leaders, and foodservice professionals from 35 California school districts, to explore tools and effective ways to positively impact school cafeteria programs through the power of local, organic food.
According to a press release, the engaging day consisted of panels and discussions on the themes of building community and nutrition in K-12 schools, improving local food systems, the procurement of organic food for California’s K-12 school cafeteria programs, and helping children understand the journey of their meals from farm to table.
Empowered by a recently awarded USDA grant to bring organic cheese to K-12 schools in California, Rumiano has invested in new processing equipment, logistics and transportation, enabling the creation of unique, organic, value-added dairy products that cater specifically to the nutritional and culinary needs of school cafeterias.
To read the full press release, click here.
Keep reading DMN for more updates like this.
