Rumiano Cheese Commits to Carbon Neutrality by 2030
Rumiano Cheese Company, California’s oldest family-owned cheese company, has committed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. As a first step, Rumiano has introduced a climate impact program to accelerate efforts to improve the sustainability of its supply chain.
Rumiano has partnered with the CDIC, a coalition of California dairy producers, processors, major universities and the California Dairy Research Foundation, created to collaboratively drive dairy innovation and productivity. Established by the California Milk Advisory Board, the CDIC supports industry innovation through grants, internships, research projects and educational training.
With support from the CDIC’s Dairy Business Innovation Initiative, Rumiano has hired its first sustainability impact intern to assess the company’s entire ecological footprint. Cal Poly Humboldt environmental science major Ellie Frazier has spent two months collecting and documenting comprehensive baseline measurements on all business activities that contribute to energy and water consumption, resource usage and carbon emissions.
With baseline data in place, Frazier has entered the second stage of her research where she is analyzing areas of the business that have the greatest opportunities for optimization and environmental outcomes. Frazier’s research has already identified a number of climate impacting opportunities around transportation and sustainable packaging and she will be exploring additional ways Rumiano can further reduce emissions by decreasing miles traveled of raw materials and finished goods.
This collaboration with the CDIC builds on Rumiano’s long commitment to advancing sustainable farming and production practices and a record of innovation. Rumiano has already made significant investments in sustainability on several fronts.
Ambitious initiatives range from its zero-waste cheese manufacturing plant that recycles and repurposes everything from cardboard and plastic to whey and wastewater, to the company’s in-house wastewater treatment facility that biologically treats 20,000 gallons of cheese production wastewater per day. This process not only prevents 99 percent of milk solids from entering the environment through groundwater and rivers, it enables the water to become potable and usable for its community and puts clean water and food grade compost equivalents back into the land.
Last year, Rumiano opened an energy-efficient 46,766-square-foot state-of-the-art cheese packaging plant in Willows, Calif., that will soon run on 100 percent renewable solar energy generated on-site like the company’s existing facilities.
“As we work toward our long-range sustainability action plans, we are committed to continuous progress across the entire supply chain. We know that over time, small changes in our farming, manufacturing and packaging processes will lead to big transformations. But the greatest impact on the health of our planet will lie in our collective ability to make pasture-based, regenerative farming practices more affordable and accessible to all farms,” said Joe Baird, Rumiano Cheese Company’s CEO. “Regenerative agriculture promotes healthier soils that absorb more carbon into the ground and keep more greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere.”
“Progress relies on innovation and collaboration,” said Veronique Lagrange, director of the CDIC, “We value our partnership with processors like Rumiano and are pleased to offer support through the Dairy Business Innovation Initiative to help them achieve their business objectives.”
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Yoplait, Box Tops for Education Renovate School Library
This back-to-school season, Yoplait and Box Tops for Education are giving back to local communities and are committed to empowering women who make schools a special place for students by donating a library renovation to the Dolores Huerta Elementary School in Lennox, Calif.
Yoplait and Box Tops for Education identified the school through the hard work of Principal Maria Castellanos, who is dedicated to ensuring that all students at the school have an opportunity to thrive, even through the challenges of online learning during the pandemic which caused many students to fall behind on reading. In close collaboration with the teachers and staff, including the school’s librarian, Megan Gomez-Green, Castellanos has provided her students with valuable learning habits.
“Our library is the heart of the school. The kids are excited, they want to find the right book, and they want to learn about different topics through reading. I’m excited that with this makeover, the kids will have access to a space that fosters the creativity and development that comes with reading,” said Castellanos. “As a woman myself, I want to make sure that I recognize the importance of being a Latina female leader in this world. I hope that the little girls can see a Latina principal and say, ‘she grew up on a similar street, in a similar home, and look where she’s at.’ ”
Yoplait and Box Tops for Education’s library makeover is providing Dolores Huerta Elementary School with a unique and colorful new space including a new amphitheater, reading corner and donated books from the librarian’s wish list—many of which are in Spanish and/or showcase the importance of diversity and representation, such as “Crónicas Apestosas” by Martin Pinol and “When Rosa Parks Went Fishing” by Rachel Ruiz.
“Yoplait is committed to celebrating and empowering the women that set up the future generations for success, and we also believe that investing in a child’s education with the tools they need is foundational,” shared Rachel Letsche, General Mills brand experience assistant manager. “Our partnership with Box Tops for Education is the perfect opportunity to help schools and communities get the necessary resources to grow and excel.”
Yoplait wants to encourage consumers to give back to their local communities through Box Tops for Education by giving shoppers an easy way to earn cash for schools with products they already buy. By using the Box Tops app, consumers can scan a store receipt that includes Box Tops participating Yoplait products and earn cash for a school of their choice. Through this, you can support a local school in need and champion learning and development for the children of your area who need it most.
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Schuman Cheese Names Snyder CEO
Schuman Cheese has named Steve K. Snyder CEO, with third-generation leader Neal Schuman moving from CEO to chairman of the board.
“We are excited to welcome Steve to the Schuman Cheese family and plan to work closely to build on the company’s successes while staying true to the core values that have guided us these last 75 years,” said Schuman. “Steve brings us a fresh vision for the company’s continued success and expansion trajectory. I am confident that his experienced leadership, know-how, and clear strategic perspective will be pivotal to our next phase of growth.”
Snyder has recently led companies in the cheese, food and other industries to create and implement growth strategies, develop leadership talent and drive business and organizational development.
“It is with great pride and excitement that I join Neal and his talented fourth-generation children, Allison, Ian, and Keith, along with the entire Schuman Cheese team to continue the legacy of world-class, award-winning cheese solutions,” Snyder said. “The company’s history of caring for its employees and the communities in which it operates is inspirational. It’s that dedication to our team and our customers to operate with integrity and innovative spirit that will remain a guiding light in this next chapter of growth.’ said Snyder.
Snyder carries with him a leadership background in start-up, middle market and large company settings across food, nutrition, pharma, food safety, biotechnology, agrulture and specialty chemicals.
His most recent, full-time role was president and CEO of Whitehall Specialties Inc., a Wisconsin-based processed and plant-based cheese manufacturer, where he created and launched the NewFields plant-based cheese division. He served as president and COO of the publicly traded food and animal safety company Neogen and spent 13 years at Cargill, the large multinational, family-owned food and agricultural products company, where he and his team launched Truvia natural sweetener and other nutritional and sustainable products.
Snyder has also held various roles at Monsanto Company and a number of boards of directors’ positions in the food, agriculture, biotech, software and health areas.
Snyder joins Schuman Cheese amid continued category leadership with some of the industry’s largest retailers and recognition across both domestic and imported cheeses, including that of flagship brand Cello, which recently celebrated a sweep in the Parmesan category at the 2022 World Cheese Contest. The company is also rapidly expanding in growing food categories with innovative brands such as plant-based Vevan Foods and dessert brand, Delve chocolate truffles.
In October, Gourmet News publishes its annual Fall Cheese Guide. To advertise, email sales@oser.com.