Earlier this month, two products produced under the Dietz & Watson label by cheesemaker Deutsch Kase Haus, Middlebury, Ind., were voluntarily recalled because they may have contained Listeria monocytogenes. As a result, Dietz & Watson, Philadelphia, Pa., is ending its relationship with Deutsch Kase Haus.

“We are known as a preparer and purveyor of premium items, so we will make proper adjustments to our business relationships whenever anything happens that brings that premium and gourmet quality into question,” says Louis Eni, chief executive officer of Dietz & Watson. “They only made these two products for us, and we are working on a partnership with another cheesemaker to begin supplying us with improved items. After an intense search and extensive sampling, we are just about ready to make the choice of a new Colby supplier, and we are really excited to begin working with them.”

Dietz & Watson prepares the vast majority of its branded product at its Philadelphia and Baltimore, Md., facilities, but a handful of specialty items like the two Colby products in question are sourced through third-party suppliers such as Deutsch Kase Haus. 

“We’re now in the fourth generation of our family company, and we really do take pride in being purveyors of the finest deli items you can find, and we try hard to meet and surpass that standard day in and day out,” says Eni. “My grandfather started this company in 1939 and instilled this attitude in all of us; the concept that we will always provide our customers with the same quality items we feed our own families.”