Finlandia Cheese is one of the most highly regarded cheese brands in the United States and known for the superior taste and quality of its cheese and butter. Being part of Valio, a leading Nordic dairy and food company, Finlandia Cheese, Inc. is now changing its name to Valio USA. The name change is part of the company’s expansion into new, innovative categories, such as plant-based cheese alternatives, as well as value-added dairy ingredients and solutions for US food manufacturers.
Today, Finlandia Cheese, Inc., a subsidiary of Valio Ltd. in Helsinki, Finland, announced that it is changing its name to Valio USA starting October 1, 2020. The new name will facilitate the company’s expansion into new, innovative categories and provide a closer connection between the subsidiary and its parent company in corporate branding and messaging. Due to its strong recognition among consumers, Finlandia will remain the brand name for Valio USA’s cheese and butter line.
We just introduced our new, plant-based Oddlygood™ vegan cheese alternatives to the USA market. They taste great and melt perfectly in pizza. As we are expanding to new categories outside of traditional cheese and butter, we feel that the Valio USA name will give us more flexibility to develop a variety of innovative new products that make everyday meals extra delicious,” says Mari Meriluoto, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Valio USA.
Valio also makes world-class dairy ingredients and solutions that help food manufacturers to fulfill demand for health requirements, including free from, high protein and low sugar. Valio now wants to bring these value-added dairy ingredients and solutions to the USA market. Valio manufactures for example, lactose-free milk powders and many advanced blends in Finland. Valio’s solutions will allow food manufacturers in the region to deliver new recipes that satisfy the growing consumer trends. The clean Arctic environment combined with strict quality control and animal welfare results one of the cleanest milks in the world. Valio also has zero tolerance for antibiotic residue in milk. In April, Valio and the North American specialty ingredient distributor Palmer Holland partnered for sales, marketing and distribution of lactose-free milk powders.
The relationship between Valio Ltd. and Finlandia Cheese dates to the 1950s when the Finlandia brand entered the US market. Finlandia cheese quickly became a favorite in New York delis and expanded into supermarkets, cheese shops, delis and restaurants throughout the Northeast. In 1992, Valio Ltd acquired Finlandia. Under the Valio umbrella, Finlandia built on the same commitment to quality and innovation that earned Valio’s Director of Research, Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, the Nobel Prize in 1945 for groundbreaking work related to the preservation of fodder.
