Specialty cheesemakers form strategic alliance
Couturier North America, LLC, Hudson, N.Y., and Norseland, Inc., Darien, Conn., formed a strategic alliance, where all sales, marketing and distribution of Couturier brands, including Merci Chef and Capra, and logistical responsibilities will be handled by Norseland, effective November.
Couturier will join Norseland’s group of premier specialty brands, namely Jarlsberg, Jarlsberg Lite, Snøfrisk, Ski Queen, Ilchester, Volpi American crafted cured meats, García Baquero traditional Spanish cheeses, Lotito Gabriella fine Italian cheeses, Caves of Faribault’s Amablu, Amagorg, St. Pete’s, St. Mary’s and Old Amsterdam Aged Gouda. Both portfolios of brands bring to the table a rich history of cheesemaking and specialty cheeses linked to very specialized techniques and processes.
“This partnership is a great opportunity for Couturier North America to continue to grow our market share in the U.S. market to become one of the leading brands of goat cheese in the next five years,” says Pierre Guerin, president of Couturier LLC. “Norseland is the most qualified company when it comes to specialty cheeses. They have a very strong knowledge and master all aspects from marketing to logistics. We are very excited with this new challenge and we expect a lot from this alliance.”
“We are so pleased to have Couturier North America, LLC in this exciting alliance with Norseland,” says John Sullivan, president and CEO of Norseland. “We look forward to adding their incredible brands to our portfolio.”
The new alliance is expected to bolster Couturier’s share of the U.S. goat cheese market and expand its footprint in New York.
Hudson Valley Creamery, LLC (HVC), Couturier’s production company, has been producing goat cheeses at its plant in Hudson, N.Y., since 2012. Couturier and HVC have worked closely with the state, Columbia County and other key agencies and officials for over a year to establish large scale goat farming in the region. During the next several months, Couturier and HVC plan to expand the plant to process locally sourced goat milk.
This comes on the heels of Norseland forming an alliance with Caves of Faribault, a Faribault, Minn.-based subsidiary of Swiss Valley Farms.
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