CHEESE MARKET NEWS®
Retail WATCH
N E W S & M A R K E T I N G I D E A S T O H E L P S E L L M O R E C H E E S E
February 13, 2009 — CHEESE MARKET NEWS® 7
Also in Retail WATCH:
Kraft, Lehigh Valley launch sweepstakes … Page 8 WMMB offers guide to artisan varieties … Page 10
Arthur Schuman Inc. diversifies,
invests in its domestic capabilities
Turn to SCHUMAN, page 9 a
By Kate Sander
FAIRFIELD, N.J. — In a climate of
global financial uncertainty, diversity
is helping to keep business growing
and expanding at Arthur Schuman Inc.,
which claims that with both domestic
production and imports it is the largest
hard cheese company in the United
States.
Perhaps best known as a cheese
importer, Arthur Schuman Inc. has
long had a presence in the domestic
cheese market as well. That presence
has expanded in recent years, says Neal
Schuman, company president, as the
company made the strategic decision
to purchase domestic cheese plants
WIDE VARIETY — Importer and domestic cheese producer Arthur Schuman Inc. offers its
customers a variety of cheese types in several different formats.
and processing facilities. The company
also partners with several domestic
and international cheese manufactur-
ers to offer its wide array of products
and flavors.
“Strategically, we felt we needed
to hedge our sourcing strategy that
was too dependent on foreign coun-
tries,” Schuman says, noting, among
other things, the tremendous cost
savings in transportation. “That
perception was predicated on our
feeling that the U.S. was going to be
a surplus producer and exporter of
dairy products.”
When Neal Schuman’s grandfather,
Arthur Schuman, first started the
business more than 60 years ago, the
focus was on bulk products. Over the
years, though, the company has grown
by developing a full spectrum of prod-
ucts at every price point. All segments
of the industry needed products that
were easier and more convenient to
use, and Arthur Schuman Inc. met
these needs by investing in state-of-
e