Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/282647
Cheese straws | Cookie straws Cookies | tea Cookies simple, all Natural ingredients. No Preservatives & No trans Fats. N a t u r a l l y producer profile "I came back to Texas and built a cheese factory. Then I employed an Italian cheese professor to come over and teach me how to make the cheese." Today, Mozzarella Company makes 25 to 30 types of cheese by hand, fresh and aged, using cow's milk and goat's milk, in the same small factory located in a warehouse district "in the shadows of downtown Dallas," as Lambert describes it. When it opened in 1982, the business made only fresh mozzarella. In learning about opening and operating a cheese factory, Lambert found the myriad regulations especially daunting. But something else turned out even more difficult: finding customers. Building a Base Through Education and Growth "No one had even heard of fresh mozzarella," Lambert says with a laugh, reflecting on the early days. "I thought I would sell my cheese through the local gourmet shops. I created my own recipe cards to show people how to use it, and when I came in, the stores eagerly ordered some cheese. But they couldn't sell it—not even a pound a week, and that was just not going to help me. So I decided I would have to do things differently." She realized the best place for people to sample fresh mozza- rella was at restaurants, so she targeted local chefs. "I figured once they tried it, they would declare that it was just the most wonderful thing they had ever tasted and then the waiters would say, 'Oh that is from this small new factory here in Dallas,'" Lambert explains. "And it worked pretty well." But she soon discovered that mozzarella sales alone couldn't sustain the business, so she decided to expand her range. "I didn't "These young chefs who were my customers became well-known across the U.S. They would go to other cities and cook with my cheese and those chefs would become my customers." Lambert and the Mozzarella Company crew Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 4021 Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 4121 58 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com ProducerProfiile_MozzCo.indd 58 3/12/14 8:40 AM