Fancy Halloumi figures in major US food show
27 January 2003
Oakland, California
CYPRUS featured large in the 28th Winter International Fancy Food & Confection Show, organised by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT), in San Francisco on January 19. For three days, in the vast exhibition halls of the Moscone Center, delegates of over 1000 domestic and international companies mixed with several thousand specialty food retailers, chefs, restaurateurs, hoteliers, bakers, deli owners and supermarket buyers in order to market their chocolates, cheeses, sauces, dips, oils, spices, cookies, teas, rice, chips, wines, olives....
Thousands of those exhibitors and attendees flocked to the Cyprus pavilion for a taste (or two!) of halloumi, hot off the grill. "Mmm, this stuff is gooood!", muttered a big woman with an exhibitor's badge. And the man with the Texan hat and accent... it wasn't the first time I was seeing him stop by and dip into the plate during my short stay at the show.
Halloumi, Cyprus' flagship cheese which so many of us, Cypriots, have been happily weaned on, has arrived in America!
Truth be said, it's been around for many years. But only recently has it broken through to the mainstream, albeit upscale, supermarkets of the Bay Area, like Whole Foods and Andronicos, and other such establishments throughout the country.
"We've been going mainstream with it and it's moving in the right direction", said Dennis Droushiotis, Cyprus Trade Commissioner, in an interview with The Cyprus Weekly. With new packaging that makes it easier for mainstream stores to carry, and a good distribution network throughout the US, "it's been gaining in popularity".
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For many years the main market segment in the US was the Arab community, he explained.
Indeed, the largest importer, that of Pittas which is the most widespread brand of halloumi in the US, is a Lebanese Armenian based in Glendale, Calif. - Kradjian Importing Co. Christis Golden Star is represented by a Palestinian, Alex Joudeh of Trans Mid-East, Brooklyn, New York.
In fact Joudeh credits himself with being "the guy who introduced halloumi from Cyprus to the United States", in its vacuum-packed form.
Why halloumi, I wondered. Joudeh came to know the cheese when he worked in Saudi Arabia. When he completed his business there, he decided to bring the product to the US.
He confirms that the primary consumers in the US have been Middle-Easterns - Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese - which again puzzled me as halloumi is not an Arabic cheese. Joudeh attributes its appeal to its similarity with "nabulsi", a traditional white brined cheese known in the Middle East. "They were pickling the white fresh cheese, meaning they were boiling it with salt-water and storing it in big jars for the winter. It tastes like the halloumi."
Until Joudeh started importing the Golden Star brand, the only halloumi in the US came in tins. The first vacuum-packed halloumi arrived here in the early 80s. The first couple of years were difficult as the Cypriot manufacturer, Christis, had to grapple with the rules and regulations of US Customs. After that "it started growing nicely and smoothly and now it's everywhere."
This is largely the result of the combined efforts of the Cyprus Trade Centre in New York and the Cyprus Milk Industry Organisation (CMIO) as well as of the importers of the product.
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In April 1990 the US Patent and Trademark Office granted the Cyprus Ministry of Commerce & Industry trademark status for halloumi for a period of ten years, certifying that "the cheese product is produced only in Cyprus using historic method unique to that country." The registration has been renewed for another ten years, until April 2009, at which point it can be renewed further, according to Droushiotis. In this way the brand has been protected as well as the consumer "so that when the consumer buys halloumi, he knows he's getting the real thing."
The initial registration was challenged in 1991 by the Danish Dairy Board, representing Danish interests which, as a result of the certification, could no longer market a cheese by the name of Halloumi made of cow's milk. After an eight-year legal battle, coordinated by the Cyprus Trade Centre, Cyprus prevailed and the certification was upheld by the US Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Free of competition, the only constraint to halloumi's growth was market exposure.
Cyprus' participation in NASFT's annual Fancy Food Shows, both the Winter ones in San Francisco and the Summer ones in New York, began in the mid-eighties with only one booth promoting mostly wine, continued Droushiotis. Halloumi followed as did other Cypriot products.
In this year's Winter show in San Francisco, the Cyprus pavilion consisted of six booths. Three of the 11 brands of halloumi imported in the US were represented. Pittas Dairy Industries, Trans Mid-East representing Christis and Mediterranean Ventures, importers of the Keses brand, lined up opposite the double booth of the CMIO and that of the Cyprus Trade Centre.
Glossy brochures with artistic, colour photographs were offered by all participants and touted halloumi's virtues: a semi-hard cheese made from only sheep's or goat's milk or a blend of the two, it has a mild taste, keeps well in refrigeration for long periods of time and is so much healthier than, say, cheddar. According to a CMIO press release, "Fresh Halloumi has about 300 calories per 100g as compared to cheddar cheese which has 400 calories per 100g.... Cheddar cheese has a cholesterol content of 100mg per 100g of cheese. ... Halloumi from sheep's milk contains only 45mg cholesterol per 100g of cheese." The significantly lower guilt factor is sure to strike a chord amongst health-conscious Californians.
But the main mantra was "The cheese that grills!" Being pre-cooked, halloumi can be grilled or fried without melting. To prove the point, both in the CMIO and Mediterranean Ventures booths, white rubbery slabs kept being thrown on the grills until golden brown and ready to be divvied up amongst eager passers-by (and halloumi-loving journalists).
Also featured was an impressive array of recipes such as "Seared Halloumi and Fig Salad" or "Grilled Halloumi and Aubergine Sandwich with Spinach & Olive Oil Dressing" which conspired to tempt even the purists amongst us.
The CMIO does not rely solely on printed material to get the word out. In 2002 the sum of CYP 65,000 was allocated for a US-wide promotional campaign consisting of in-store tastings. The promotion, which will be completed in the spring of 2003, has already been very successful, declared Iacovos Fessas, CMIO chairman, who attended the San Francisco show. Encouraged, CMIO has approved an additional CYP 65,000 to continue the campaign for one more year.
Andreas Michaelides, CMIO Accountant, elaborated on the numbers. Exports worldwide have shown a dramatic increase, from just under 3,000 metric tons in 2001 to over 4,000 in 2002. The corresponding figures for the US market were 157 tons in 2001 compared to 229 tons in 2002, representing an increase of over 45%. Looking at the 1998 figures of 107 tons, imports in the US have more than doubled in five years.
Moreover CMIO sponsors the Winter Fancy Food Show, the cost of which amounted to about CYP 35,000 this year, while the Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Tourism picks up the tab for the Summer show in New York. Exhibitors need only cover their travelling expenses and the fridge for their cheese, explained Michaelides.
Yiannos Pittas of Pittas Dairy Industries is appreciative of the CMIO support. He explained that in addition to the exhibition fees and the cost of the booths, the CMIO also provides them with reimbursement for a series of promotions.
Pittas Dairy Industries have been participating in the Fancy Food Shows for about six years. It has been very helpful, said Pittas, as it provides them with an opportunity to network.
Surprisingly, Pittas finds that, despite the greater number of expatriates on the East Coast, the cheese has more success on the West Coast. "People are different here," he explained. "People are less traditional, more open and the product is making more progress here. There is also a significant foreign element here whose eating habits seem to be more compatible with halloumi."
Another interesting observation was offered by Polys Pashiardis of Pittas' Sales & Marketing Department. Apparently, the more traditional red vacuum-packed look appeals more on the East Coast whereas the new plastic container with the light blue paper wrapping is liked better on the West Coast.
Even though Pittas imports smaller quantities of other cheeses such as feta, the relatively high cost of milk in Cyprus makes it hard to compete with cheeses from Greece and other countries.
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Halloumi is the retirement project of Tim Mavrellis of Mediterranean Ventures. A resident of Ann Arbor, Michigan, he was searching for a way that would allow him to travel to Cyprus more frequently. He found the answer in the Keses brand of halloumi which he started importing to the US about four years ago.
He has all the characteristics of the newcomer. He is enthusiastic and optimistic about both the product and the brand he represents and is eager to put in what it takes to build what he is certain will be a great success. He believes that the US is the perfect market for halloumi and foresees that in 5-10 years' time it will be an established, much-sought after product as "there is no cheese in the market that can match its taste and versatility." But given "the low product recognition and even lower name recognition", it will take some hard work in the form of demonstrations, tastings and shows like the San Francisco one.
As for the brand he represents, he considers it to be a quality product at the high end of the market as "Keses is the only manufacturer that makes traditional, hand-made, hand-folded halloumi."
"I believe in the product. We have the best halloumi that comes from Cyprus and we have the best cheese in the market, and we are willing to challenge everyone about it!", he declares with a smile.
Mavrellis has also embraced technology more openly than the established players and has put it to work. His website not only provides information and recipes on halloumi but also accepts online sales. He will ship anywhere in the country and guarantees next day delivery.
Mavrellis was somewhat reluctant to evaluate the show. "You really don't know until you go back and follow up with your contacts", he said. But he admitted that the show kept him plenty busy and that his grilling efforts had met with great success. None of the 175 pounds of halloumi he brought with him survived the hordes of tasters. Just in the first day of the show, his 1500 toothpicks ran out and he had to borrow 500 more from the CMIO folks. He estimates that, in the three days of the show, at least 10,000 people went through the Cyprus pavilion.
Similar "complaints" were expressed by Klio Demetriou, Commercial Attache of the Cyprus Trade Centre. All promotional material had flown off the shelves and with a couple of hours more to go before the end of the show, she had none left for last-minute enquiries. What a wonderful problem to have, I thought!
The Cyprus Trade Centre's presence ensured that cheese was not the only Cypriot product represented. They provided information on all of Cyprus' food industries like pasta, olive oil, Turkish delights, coffee, wines and the top seller, Commandaria.
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But halloumi was the undeniable star on this show's Cyprus stage. So much so that it received Gourmet News' "Best of the Aisle" award, complete with certificate - an accomplishment which every single participant on the Cyprus team mentioned with great pride.
And while previous generations bemoan the fact that the halloumi of old - hard, minty, salty and delivered in brine - has given way to the modern, rubbery, vacuum-packed version, America is set on acquiring a taste for our newer, fancier halloumi.
Links:
NASFT Fancy Food Show
Gourmet News
Cyprus Embassy Trade Center, New York
Cyprus Milk Industry Organisation
Pittas Dairy Industries Ltd
Christis Dairies Ltd
Mediterranean Ventures, Inc
ALL SMILES: Polys Pashiardis and Yiannos Pittas of Pittas; Sotira Theophanous, wife of Nick Theophanous,
Cyprus Honorary Consul in San Francisco; Iacovos Fessas, Cyprus Milk Industry Organisation; in front of Christi's booth.
SALES PITCH: View of the Cyprus pavilion with the Cyprus Milk Industry Organisation booth in the foreground
and the Cyprus Trade Centre booth next to it.