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MyForest Foods Expands MyBacon Distribution to Massachusetts

MyForest Foods Co. has formed retail partnerships with Berkshire Food Co-op in Great Barrington, Mass., and Cornucopia Natural Wellness Market in Northampton, Mass. These retail partnerships are the result of scaling for MyForest Foods, a whole-cut mycelium food company. MyForest also held an opening ceremony for Swersey Silos, its vertical mycelium farm, the world’s largest farm of its kind.

Since 1981, Berkshire Food Co-op has upheld its mission to provide sustainable food products and nourish communities in an environmentally sensitive manner, making them a natural mission-aligned partner for MyForest Foods to introduce its flagship product, MyBacon, to consumers.

An hour east, Cornucopia Natural Wellness Market has offered the best in local and organic foods to Northampton since 1980. The company’s first retailer, Honest Weight Food Co-op of Albany, N.Y., has consistently sold out of MyBacon over the past 70 weeks.

MyForest Foods commemorated the opening of its new vertical AirMyceliumfarm — a true milestone to scale MyBacon distribution and drive accessibility. The farm, known as Swersey Silos, utilizes a patented AirMycelium technology developed by Ecovative, the mycelium technology company that spun out MyForest Foods in 2020. The Ecovative team was responsible for designing and constructing Swersey Silos to provide MyForest with the full benefit of the AirMycelium technology.

Swersey Silos has the capacity to produce nearly 3 million pounds of mycelium annually, offering an alternative to traditional pork bacon that drastically reduces the land, water and carbon footprint found in conventional factory farming practices. Swersey Silos is part of 120,000 square feet of new infrastructure, including a new production facility in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., which is slated to open this fall. Operating at full capacity, MyForest Foods is projected to serve MyBacon to more than one million consumers by the year 2024.

The farm is named after Burt Swersey, a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute who inspired MyForest Foods co-founder Eben Bayer to seek creative solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. Swersey Silos is dedicated to Burt’s legacy and MyForest Foods’ promise for a well-fed future.

“By forming strong partnerships, listening to our consumers, and focusing on sustained growth, MyForest Foods continues to embody Burt Swersey’s principles to make lasting, effectual change,” said Eben Bayer, Co-Founder and CEO of MyForest Foods. “Professor Swersey’s philosophy of ‘don’t do nonsense’ is at the core of our mission to do meaningful work — it’s why we’ve focused on creating a delicious, sustainable product to help alleviate the dual crisis of climate change and food scarcity.”

Earlier this year, MyForest Foods announced a partnership with Whitecrest Mushrooms Ltd., a Canadian gourmet mushroom farm, to develop nearly three million pounds of annual MyBacon mycelium production capacity on less than one acre of land. Through this successful partnership and the new farm infrastructure, MyForest Foods is poised to reach new consumers through additional natural products retailers and a northeastern food truck tour later this year.

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Cheese Society Gives Awards, Revives Meet the Cheesemaker at Annual Convention

Rogue Creamery cheese at the American Cheese Society convention

Rogue Creamery’s famous blue cheeses

Seventeen years ago, David Gremmels, owner of Rogue Creamery, proposed that the American Cheese Society create a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The ACS Lifetime Achievement Award was created in 2006 by the American Cheese Society board of directors to honor those whose professional accomplishments have made a significant and lasting impact in the American cheese industry, and whose life and character have earned the respect and admiration of their professional colleagues.

Today, Gremmels (aka “Mr. Blue” for Rogue’s famous blue cheese) and Paula Lambert of Mozzarella Co., received Lifetime Achievement Awards at the ACS conference in Portland, Ore. Both had positive messages to send to peers and newcomers.

“Please join me in trying to make a positive impact in all that we do,” Gremmels said, “and make it safe, healthy, positive and other centered.”

Lambert joined the ceremony via video, as she was isolating in Dallas after contracting COVID. Lambert was hailed as a pioneer in artisanal cheesemaking and mentor to numerous cheesemakers.

“I’m thrilled beyond words,” Lambert said. “Keep a positive attitude and don’t give up.”

Michele Haram of Cypress Grove was given the Above & Beyond Award for her dedication to volunteerism.

Meritorious Service Awards were given posthumously to Anne Saxelby of Saxelby Cheesemongers and Patrick Polowsky, who created the Cheese Science Toolkit.

There was cheese to eat and hugs to give at the ACS Meet the Cheesemaker event.

The most popular event at the annual American Cheese Society convention, Meet the Cheesemaker, returned, with hundreds of attendees flocking to a conference room in the Oregon Convention Center to taste all the cheeses and accompaniments offered by members.

For more coverage of the American Cheese Society Convention and other specialty food industry events, subscribe to Gourmet News.

Whitney From Cellars at Jasper Hill Wins Best in Show at Specialty Cheese Show

Whitney, a Raclette-style raw milk cheese from Vermont’s Cellars at Jasper Hill won Best in Show for specialty cheese at the American Cheese Society’s annual awards.

“Behind every great cheese is a community of people,” an overwhelmed Jasper Hill co-founder, Matteo Kehler, said in a ceremony held during the ACS convention in Portland, Ore. “What we’re trying to build is an agriculture-supported community. Not a CSA, but an ASC.

“At the root of this effort is delicious cheese. It’s the vehicle. It’s reflective of this point in the industry for us and it’s an epic opportunity to push the boundaries and win new consumers,” said Kehler, who founded the creamery with his brother, Andy.

“When you win new consumers for specialty cheese, we all win and we win together,” he said.

Whitney is a Jasper Hill Creamery original, according to the company’s website, inspired by the classic, mid-elevation mountain cheeses of Europe. At Jasper Hill, people are the main ingredient; this stoic, reliable cheese pays homage to Jasper Hill’s longest-standing employee: the steadfast Tim Whitney.

Bamboozle, a washed-rind goat and cow’s milk cheese from Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy in Pennsylvania, and Flagsheep, a cloth-bound and open-air aged sheep’s milk cheese from Beecher’s Handmade Cheese in Washington, tied for second place.

Greensward, a cow’s milk washed-rind cheese from Murray’s Cheese of New York, took third place.

For more specialty cheese awards from the ACS convention and other coverage, get the September issue of Gourmet News. So you don’t miss anything, subscribe now!