I can’t believe there are no discussions about CHEESE!!!
I have been using Grande Cheese, Low Moisture, Whole Milk Mozzarella for about 7 years now, and well the price of Grande for me is just to high to bear anymore. So we have decided to start using Sorrento ~ Prima Cuccina Low Moisture Whole Milk Mozzarella, it is very closely matched with Grande but for about 30 cents a pound less.
What Cheeses do you use currently and what are you paying per pound?
$2.25 PER LB
BLOCK,LOW MOISTURE,3%
Grande 50/50 low moisture $ 3.09
I guess I can’t complain to much Tony. I am paying the same for Grande. However, only after beating up my Distributor for about a month. I got them to come down from $3.45 lb. I just figure that cheese has not topped out yet, and the analyst believe it is going to go up even further. It this continues, I am going to buy my own milk, and make my own cheese. 
2.76 grande whole milk mozz
I’m also using Grande diced 50/50 @ 2.90lb. And I still feel like I’m being raped!
Niccademoyou can buy Polly-O curds(there are4 probably others also) and make your own fresh mozzerella,
may not save $/time, sure is good though,
Oits
LMPS block 2.17 lb.
The price of cheese peaked in June. Through July it slipped back down to about $1.84. Since then it has climbed back up to the mid/high 1.90s where is still is.
Generally, I think I am getting good pricing when I get 20 cents above the Chicago block price. There is lag of 2-4 weeks in the price as the product moves through the channel though. This can good. If I see a big upward move I can buy in quantity and save some $$.
I don’t know how you guys survive the $3.00 prices from Grande. That price difference would eat up half my net for the year.
Grande is totally worth it. The customer recognize the difference, and they will tell you. However, the price is getting a little outrageous, and I am looking at Sorrento Prima Cuccina for some price relief it runs about 30 cents cheaper, and it is about 98% of what Grande is. Only the true cheese experts can tell the difference.
The problem with the cheese market is… the CME only sells 1 to 2% of the cheese in the market…However, the rest of the market sets there price based on the price at the CME.
Which makes you wonder why hasn’t one of the big guys (i.e. Domino’s Pizza, PJ’s, or Pizza Hut), gone in and bought up the market and driven the price up over $10.00 a lb. I am sure they all have contracts that keep the price of cheese to them at $2.00 a pound forever. If they bought up the CME, they could easily drive all us independent out of the market, and they could reclaim there share of the market, ala Microsoft.
I have found that Grande goes further also…6 ounces of Grande is equivalent to some of the other cheeses 8 ounces, that varies, more important is the customer satisfaction,
I am having to switch from Grande because my distributor does not carry it…I plan to start with Shamrock Foods private label whole milk diced mozzarella…
Anybody out there using that…I know it’s a limited market, Shamrock Foods is just on AZ, CA, and COLO.
…As for the CME cheese market, as difficult as it would be for anyone to “corner” the market, I do not think anyone wants to…only devestation for those who have tried in the past 50 years…some manipulation of the market, happens everyday with some success, I traded soybean futures in the 90’s
Otis
No doubt Dominos commisary is buying cheese at the CME price of about $1.95 this week. Then they mark it up about 15% and “resell” it to the operating company and the franchisees. Cheese is not where the their cost leverage is; boxes… that is a different story. They have us by about 15-20 cents per pizza on boxes. Same is true on a percentage basis for that stuff they call sausage. They also can buy prepared dough for prices comparable to our “make it yourself” cost without the labor.
Anyone one know what (if anything) ever became of this?
Ahhh, sweet bubbling, gooey market manipulation…
I doubt any investigation is happening at the moment seeing what has happened the last two days. There has not been one single trade on the block market in the last two days but 33 unfilled bids. Thats as many bids in two days as most months have. It’s just Dairy Farmers of America up to their old tricks. The milkweed article you reference was may of 2006. Any coincidence that the market was at rockbottom while that investigation was going on?
Sounds like its time to start another investigation. Call your Congressmen today!!!
Another 2.5 cent increase without a single trade happening in the block market. What a bunch of crap this is!!
The price of Cheese is making me ill!!!