Bravo Farms In Traver, CA Faced Rough Year

Bravo Farms has battled its way back from the brink of financial ruin, but the E. coli scare that almost destroyed the company a year ago has left a deep imprint, says one of the owners.

The November 2010 outbreak, which sickened at least 37 people in five states, was linked to Bravo Farms' Dutch Style Gouda cheese only, but the company voluntarily made the financially painful move of recalling all its cheese products, said Jonathan Van Ryn, partner of company founder Bill Boersma.

"Our customers' safety was the top priority, so we were overly cautious. And we were honest with people," said Van Ryn.

The company was shut down for two months during the Food and Drug Administration's investigation, which traced the problem to bovine DNA, said Van Ryn.

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