One way to maximize sales for U.S. dairy farmers is to give the end user some tasty variety. Marshall Reese, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Associated Milk Producers, Incorporated, says it starts with getting creative in making cheese, including using some Carolina pepper favorites.

“What we are starting to see is that customers and consumers are back to wanting to try new things, and that has led us into developing new inclusion cheese varieties and new inclusion cheese flavors. So, trying to capitalize on where consumers want to try new things, we are trying to provide that for them with some new cheese flavors and varieties. We have the ability to include various things into cheese, whether that be peppers, Chipotles, smokey cheddars, or Carolina Reaper. It’s almost like the hotter, the better.”

While they try new cheese flavors, Reese says AMPI hasn’t forgotten about the originals.

“We still make cheddar and Monterey Jack and Colby and Colby Jack, your more traditional American-style cheeses. We certainly still make those. But it does appear that consumers are starting to gravitate more and more, especially the younger generations, right, and they want new things. They want to have that experience of trying a Carolina Reaper and going, ‘Oh my, that’s hot.’”

He talks about how the cooperative determines which flavors to try.

“We certainly try to follow the trends that are being published in numerous food magazines, restaurant magazines, etc. as to what menu items are hot. So, we’ll take those as ideas, and then even just talking to our customers and talking to consumers, what are they interested in. One of the growing popular trends is you now see hot honey on pizzas. You now see hot honey on chicken sandwiches, so we’re experimenting with that as a way to incorporate that trend into some cheese varieties.”