NEWTON, WI – Pine River Pre-Pack, a local cheese factory in Newton, WI, continues to focus on what is most important during these difficult times, giving back to the community, keeping their top-notch team safe, and striving for the highest possible standard in food safety and quality.
Over the past four months, Pine River has donated more than 12,000 pounds of product to local food pantries and community care packages, as well as worked with the USDA to provide 23,000 pounds of product to the Farmers to Family Food Boxes program.
“We are fortunate to live and operate our business in a wonderful community and we want to make sure we are giving back and addressing the growing issue of hunger during these challenging times,” said Mary Lindemann, Marketing Director for Pine River Pre-Pack.
Pine River employs around 30 members of the community, a few who have been with the company for more than 30 years.
“We have a hardworking team and keeping them safe and our product safe are our top priorities,” said General Manager, Ian Behm. “Our facility has been Safe Quality Food (SQF)-certified since 2014, which means we were already following required food safety regulations. To address COVID 19 concerns, we implemented the use of separate entryways and staggered staff hours to ensure proper distancing and to keep everyone healthy.”
The team did take time to celebrate their five 2020 World Championship Cheese Contest wins, posing for a picture with the two Best-in-Class honors for Jalapeno and Pepper Jack.
“We have to credit our outstanding team for these wins,” said Phil Lindemann, CEO of Pine River Pre-Pack. “Their dedication to making the best product and using the best Wisconsin dairy ingredients is what we believe sets our product apart from the competition.”
The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) honored the 2020 World Championship Cheese Contest Gold Medal Winners with a virtual Championship Cheese Auction in April. Masters Gallery took home the Pine River Cheese Spread lot with a winning bid of $145 per pound for a total of $2,900. Proceeds from the auction provide support to the World Championship Cheese Contest, funds WCMA’s scholarship-winning students, and continues to support influential supervisor and manager training programs at WCMA.
About Pine River Pre-Pack
Pine River Pre-Pack has been crafting award-winning gourmet cheese spreads and confections for over fifty years. Our Cold Pack Cheese Food is available in the refrigerated deli and dairy cases of select grocery and gourmet food stores across the United States and sold nationally through school and civic group fundraisers, and corporate gift programs. For more information, visit pineriver.com.
