Finlandia Cheese is changing its name to Valio USA. The new name will facilitate the company’s expansion into new, innovative categories like plant-based products, 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.
About Valio USA
Valio USA is owned by small Finnish family-owned farms with over 110 years of passion and dedication to making the very best cheese and butter. From its legendary Finlandia Swiss to imported butter, the company has earned many international awards for excellence. Valio USA now offers a complete lineup of premium products all crafted to meet the highest standards of quality and taste. For more information, please visit www.valio.com/us.
About Valio from Finland
Valio, offering the taste of Nordic nature since 1905, is a brand leader and the biggest dairy business in Finland and a major player in the international dairy ingredients market. The company is owned by dairy cooperatives comprising some 4,500 dairy farmers.
Wellbeing is at the heart of Valio’s world-leading technology innovations, expertise and products that are made from clean Finnish milk and other ingredients. Our product development follows in the footsteps of Nobel Prize winner A. I. Virtanen, and the company holds 350 patents in 50 countries. Our efforts to improve animal welfare are resolute, and we know that only healthy cows can produce premium milk products. Valio’s milk ranks among the cleanest in the world, and we have zero tolerance for antibiotic residue in milk.
Valio has net sales of EUR 1.8 billion and is Finland’s biggest food exporter. Valio products are found in some 60 countries and account for 25 % of Finland’s total food exports. Valio seeks strong growth in international markets and has subsidiaries in Russia, Sweden, the Baltics, USA and China.
