The challenge of cheese – supply pressures and product nature.

Futura Foods’ Pizza & More cheese range.

CHALLENGING TIMES

With the recent, and still ongoing impact of the Covid 19 pandemic, the industry baseline has found a new normal, reports Simon O ord, commercial controller for Pizza & More at sector supplier, Futura Foods.

“We have found a merging of the channel landscapes, and reduced con dence in out of home dining,” says Simon O ord.

“Yet, consumers still want to treat themselves to comforting and indulgent food. The popularity of delivery and takeaway routes to market such as Deliveroo and Just Eat continues, and are in growth, frequently engaged with by consumers.

“We have seen the cheese and dairy market escalate to some of the highest prices in the last 30 years. With short supply of milk and increased demand from the consumer we are in unprecedented times. Low milk yields and in ation on electricity, fuel and packaging means that the requirement for more cost-e ective and functional cheeses has become more prevalent.”

Valerio’s, a specialist manufacturer of mozzarella and ricotta cheese, based in the market town of Bedford and established over 60 years ago, operates from its dedicated Bedfordshire located dairy, and report price pressures too from at home and abroad.

“Unfortunately, UK milk prices increased several times during the course of 2021 and have continued to do so into 2022 with further increases having been con rmed this month,” says Maurizio Valerio of Valerio’s Ltd.

“Valerio’s, like many other producers has had to accept the ‘buy price’ increase for raw milk in order to have continuity and security of supply for its customers.

“All products are made from fresh British milk on a daily basis and are available in a variety of pack sizes, tailormade for individual requirements.

The challenge of

“We have also seen European milk prices following a similar path to that of the UK. “Milk prices constitute just one part of the ever-increasing cost spectrum, with other factors such as surging labour and energy costs also impacting signi cantly on the cost of manufacture.” Despite all the issues faced as a producer, however, Valerio’s says that it has still been able to o er consistently high quality, specialist products, with short lead times, via a distribution network that covers the whole of Great Britain.

They produce a unique range of premium Italian cheeses, using fresh UK milk, and ranging from mozzarella, bocconcini and or di latte to pizza cheese, burrata, stracciatella and ricotta. All products are produced daily in a modern,

cheese

A mainstay of the pizza business, like many other foodstu s and ingredients, cheese is experiencing supply chain and price pressures as the sector adapts in the wake of the response to the pandemic.

BRC AA-Grade accredited plant, from UK Farm Assured and Red Tractor approved milk. The majority of their cheese is made to order, they add, thus maximising shelflife and freshness, with order lead times of as little as two working days, delivered nationally.

A Telford-based business supplying cheese and dairy products to food manufacturers and the food service sector – Bridge Cheese – reports that it has had its best year yet, despite the triple challenge of Brexit, Covid and global supply chain disruption.

Bridge Cheese’s managing director, Michael Harte, says the business had successfully weathered the storm during 2021 and is looking forward to another year of growth in 2022, as its long-awaited expansion plans nally come to fruition.

“It’s been a phenomenal 12 months for Bridge Cheese and we’ve doubled our turnover in the last two years. Demand from our existing clients has increased and we are winning lots of new contracts too. To keep up with the orders, we increased our headcount by an extra 22 full time employees,” reports Michael Harte.

Last summer, Bridge Cheese announced that they would be expanding their Telford headquarters to add an extra production line, additional warehouse space plus new sta facilities. “We had hoped to expand the site at the end of 2021,” Michael Harte continues. “But supply chain issues held up the commissioning of the new equipment we needed for the new line. While we are waiting, we’ve added a night shift to increase production. In the current climate, you just have to roll with the punches.”

The punches certainly came thick and fast in 2021, acknowledge the rm, but Michael Harte is hopeful that there is now light at the end of the tunnel.

“2021 certainly had its fair share of challenges for the food industry. The year started with uncertainty around Brexit and operating under the new rules and processes for imports and exports, then the second wave of Covid and national lockdowns hit and then supply chain issues started to kick in,” Michael Harte re ects.

“It’s been a real uphill struggle as we import and export product, but we’ve been able to remain agile and this has helped ensure we continued to ful l our customers’ orders.

“One particular success of 2021 has been on the people side of Bridge Cheese’s business. Keen to avoid the labour shortages seen in other sectors, we have a dedicated full-time team working solely on recruitment, retention and development to ensure Bridge Cheese attracts and retains good people at all levels.

“We’ve had some fantastic appointments through apprenticeship placements and the Kickstarter scheme, as well as through local recruitment drives, and we have invested a lot in developing our culture. Our people are so important to the running of our business, we want them to feel valued.”

With plans for expansion and a new product launch in the o ng, 2022 looks set to be a promising year for the business.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT CHEESE

“Cheese tastes good, it’s extremely versatile and everyone has their favourite. However, in our Pizza & More category, functionality is just as important as avour,” Futura Foods’ Simon O ord acknowledges.

“The choices on o er these days can be varied, and just as you would decide on a suitable mix of cheese for a cheese board, you also need to consider lots of factors when deciding what to top your pizza with.

“Mozzarella is a delicious, cow’s milk cheese, known by pizza lovers throughout the world for its melted, stringy characteristics and strong connection to Italy. Mozzarella is the original pizza cheese. However, due to many external factors changing and evolving in recent years the top of our pizza is also evolving.”

More than ever before, perhaps, the need for a delivered pizza to be at its best when it arrives at your door is important, feel Futura. Additionally, there are also growing requests for speci c dietary requirements. Therefore, pizza topping varieties in the pizza industry have seen a particular increase in focus and improvement, say Futura, and consequently there are now some new and innovative products on the market to meet the evolving need states.

“Products within our Pizza & More category vary signi cantly, from products manufactured for functionality, for value or to meet dietary needs, to ingredients with provenance from continental Europe. The positioning of your product on the menu is your choice, but are you using the correct mix of ingredients to achieve your ideal commercial and quality requirements?” asks Simon O ord.

“Depending on the functionality, meltability, type of oven being used - whether you are cooking from fresh or frozen, whether your product needs to be suitable for restricted diets and even the price point target required - it is important to select the right cheese for the right application.”

MOZZARELLA

“Grated mozzarella has always been the mainstay of the pizza industry and what we would all expect to see on the top of our favourite pizza in the UK. Mozzarella has a mild, milky taste pro le. You may also nd standard mozzarella/Cheddar grated blends where the avour of the Cheddar adds an additional dimension to your pizza, satisfying consumer taste buds,” advises Simon O ord.

Typically, mozzarella is made from cow’s milk, rennet and salt and its performance is that it melts well, has a stringy texture and browns easily. It is mainly used in classic applications such as supermarket own label products, chain restaurants and casual dining in order to create the desired cheese pull, good coverage when melted.

Italian mozzarella, in particular, however, is a much softer cheese than the grated variety and is more commonly seen in a smaller pearl or ball format. 5g tends to be used as an industry standard supply format (you will see these pearls

on retailers’ pizzas as well as in the restaurant side of the industry to give a very traditional look, taste and feel to the product). Typically, it features milk (cow or bu alo), rennet and salt. Its performance is melty and creamy, elevating the nish. It can be used to add provenance to a menu and is invariably suitable for vegetarians, advise Futura.

PIZZA CHEESE

“This is a functional cheese blend which has been developed speci cally for pizza topping. This product is still classed as a cheese and will cook just like mozzarella,” explains Simon O ord.

“This product tends to be more cost e ective than mozzarella and is fantastic for the delivery market as it will still stretch as it cools. Pizza cheese has a higher melt point to mozzarella and therefore tends to burn less if cooked quickly. Pizza cheese can also be blended with mozzarella depending on your requirements.”

Pizza cheese typically contains cheese curd (or milk powder), rennet casein, butter (or oil), water and starch.

ANALOGUE

“An analogue cannot be called ‘cheese’. Analogue functions very much the same as mozzarella and can be blended with all of the above di erent pizza toppings depending on your cost engineering requirements,” says Simon O ord.

This type of cheese contains rennet casein, starch, palm oil, water and is melty, with a stringy texture, browning easily, and very cost e ective. It is mainly used in the pizza restaurant and takeaway market.

VEGAN PIZZA TOPPING

“With the increased demand for a vegan alternative to cheese, we have seen improvements in this type of pizza topping. Developments on avour and stretch have been challenging, however the products are still improving at an amazing rate due to the consumer importance. Vegan products cannot be called ‘cheese’,” says Simon O ord.

Vegan pizza topping typically contain coconut oil (fermented rice also available), starch, vegetable protein and water, and melts lightly. Its main usage is to satisfy the consumer demand for vegan and free from products.

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BIG ON CHEESE

UK frozen pizza brand, Chicago Town, has had a good start to the year, scooping a top honour at the 2022 Product of the Year awards – the UK’s largest consumer survey of product innovation. Its popular Tiger Crust pizza took the spoils in the hotly contested Frozen Food category.

The Tiger Crust range is thin and crispy with a crust that tastes just like tiger bread, smothered in Chicago Town’s signature sauce, and loaded with tasty toppings. The range includes tempting family favourite toppings including Cheesy Ham & Bacon, Cheese Medley, and Double Pepperoni pizzas.

VALERIO’S LTD

SPECIALIST MANUFACTURERS OF QUALITY MOZZARELLA & PEPPERONI

The Original & Best... Since 1964

Award Winning Mozzarella & Cured Italian Style Pepperoni Sausage & a varied range of Italian Cheese & Meat Products Made in the traditional way using authentic Valerio family recipes

Valerio’s Ltd

Olympia House, Manton Lane, Bedford MK41 7PB Tel: 01234 27 27 29 / Fax: 01234 27 27 25 www.valeriosltd.co.uk