Why Are Cheese Producers Becoming B Corps & Does it Matter?

Editor’s note: March is B Corp Month, so we thought it was a particularly good time to share the story of how and why a few cheesemakers became part of the B Corporation movement. 

There’s a lot to ponder on the label of a Tillamook blue cheese. Smokey Blue has a little campfire image near the top, Caveman Blue (my favorite cheese label of all time) has an irrepressible cartoon caveman. If you have seen these labels you may have noticed that along with the USDA Organic seal and various insignias reflecting some of the awards the cheeses have earned, there is a small circular seal which contains a shape representing the state of Oregon, and an upper-case letter B atop the word COMPANY. 

 

The B Corp Symbol

That diminutive symbol has much meaning. The certification behind it confirms that Rogue Creamery, based on Central Point, Ore., is an exemplary company in terms of its business ethics, its concern for the environment, and how it treats employees and business associates. In order to be certified, a company must divulge (among other things) information about sustainability efforts, the percentage of employees who receive health insurance, and what percentage are paid at a scale that exceeds the average in their field. That information becomes public on the certification organization’s website.

Rogue gained that certification in 2014, and just last year it was named a Best for the World B Corporation, ranking in the top 5 percent of B Corps worldwide. But Rogue is not the only cheesemaker to sport the B Corp seal, Vermont Creamery, Cabot Creamery, both of Vermont, and Tillamook, also of Oregon, have also earned the designation. 

What is a B Corp?

The certification program, run by the not-for-profit B Lab, part of B Corporation, was launched in 2006 by three business partners who had recently divested from an athletic shoe business. They were inspired in part by the stories about iconic brands such as Patagonia, Newman’s Own and Ben & Jerry’s prioritizing socially and environmentally responsible practices. The first B Corporations were certified in 2007. While there are B Corporations in over 150 industries, the food and beverage industry is the most B-certified industry in the United States. This industry has 192 listed B Corporations. Cabot Creamery, Ben & Jerry’s and New Belgium Brewing are notable examples on this list.

Pioneering American Artisan Cheese Producers

Rogue is a 90-year-old company which Gremmels purchased from its founding family in 2002. On the opposite coast, Vermont Creamery, Websterville, Vt., was a start-up in 1984. Both have become leaders in the American artisan cheese community, and both are now at least partially owned by larger companies. In 2018, Rogue partnered with Savencia USA, and operates as a separate Public Benefit Corporation, with Gremmels serving as president. 

Both Rogue and Vermont Creamery have produced cheeses that have broken new ground for cheesemaking in America and have received numerous awards and recognitions. These include the extraordinary Rogue River Blue, and the French style, geotrichum-rind goat cheeses developed by Adeline Druart. So, you might wonder which is more important to these folks, making great cheese, or being great businesses. Both say they are inseparable. 

“For Vermont Creamery, the two go hand-in-hand,” Leeper says. “We are of course known for our high quality, award-winning products, and we wouldn’t be in business if it weren’t for the exceptional products and attention that goes into our processing. But we also recognize the opportunity to use business as a force for good and carry the weight of that opportunity. Our sustainable business strategy is a core part of our leadership, and we apply similar rigor in this part of the business.”

Rogue Creamery

Rogue’s participation in the program might come as no surprise. In the 20-plus years during which David Gremmels has led the company, it has converted to 100% organic, established its own dairy farm, and installed solar panels at its production facility in Central Point. 

Gremmels says that when he first became familiar with B Corp he saw that it was a good fit for his heralded cheese company.

“I was invited to participate by Oregon’s then secretary of state and now Governor Kate Brown,” he says. “I researched B Corp values which clearly aligned with Rogue Creamery’s values and mission. I strongly felt by being a USDA Organic company and a B Corporation, Rogue Creamery was able to transparently accomplish its goals to become a zero-impact regenerative business.” Gremmels says France-based Savencia (formerly known as Bongrain) has been supportive of the B Corporation efforts. “Savencia values Rogue Creamery’s incorporation as a B Corp and believes it is a model for corporate social responsibility,” he says. “As a result they have reincorporated three of their companies to B Corporations and have plans for more.”

Vermont Creamery

Since 2017, Vermont Creamery has been a subsidiary of Land O’Lakes, Arden Hills, Minn. “Our B Corp status was one of the reasons that Land O’Lakes was interested in the Vermont Creamery business opportunity,” says Eliza Leeper, mission and customer manager with Vermont Creamery. “They recognized the brand value of Vermont Creamery and had a strong desire to ‘not mess it up.’ Our partners at Land O’Lakes have rallied along with us through the recertification process, which we’ve completed twice since acquisition. They often ask ‘will this get us more B Corp points?’ when we are working on sustainability related projects. They have been endlessly supportive.”

Vermont Creamery, best known for its goat milk cheeses and cultured butters, was founded in 1984 by Bob Reese and Allison Hooper. By the time the company considered B Corp status the leadership team included Adeline Druart, the French-trained cheesemaker who took the reins of the company just prior to its sale to Land O’Lakes. That leadership team made the decision to apply for the certification that was granted in 2014. Druart recently announced that she would leave Vermont Creamery at the end of February. 

So, next time you are shopping for artisan cheese, if you see the B Corp seal, you can bet on enjoying a delicious cheese while knowing that you are also supporting a business motivated by more than just profits.  Both are beneficial.