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cheese prices

Daisy, If I am being charged 20 cents more than the weekly average for block from two weeks ago, I figure I am being treated fairly. Right now that would be $1.80ish. That is not to say that I do not hope for better and sometimes get it.

One item of good news is that I see the price moving on the CME before the change gets to me. So we are still using cheese I bought for $1.70 a few weeks ago.
 
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Then I must be getting ripped, because Im paying $2.35 #lb for block, I cant see switching my brand again, I have it to where my customers like what blend I do, Im blending a 3:2 ratio on Wisconsin 2% Vantag, to f&a prov. I was using granda, my prov always comes in .01 cent lower than my 2% & I buy 1 case each per week
 
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No, you may well NOT be getting ripped. Your usage is small and there are certainly more expensive cheeses out there than what we use. I buy a pretty standard 100% LMPS Mozz from either US Food or Sysco. Premium branded stuff like Grande costs a bunch more and I am sure others will chime in about how much better it is. I never could see the difference and certainly not for 50 cents a pound. Places using blends of provolone, chedar etc will also pay higher prices.

Before changing, I would suggest you make it your food rep’s problem. Tell them you are looking to save costs and ask what they suggest. Get some samples and make some pies. I would do 12" cheese only pies and make sure nobody knows which pie is which. Invite family, friends, business neighbors etc in to blind taste and see what people say. Do not tell them cost is the issue. Just say you are looking at choices.
 
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I’m paying about $3.25 a pound for Grande diced cheese. I startd using Smart and Final’s First Street whole mozzarella shredded chesse last month at just over $2 per pound. I tried several lower costs cheeses but found that they were all super greasy and had bad texture. Smart and Final’s First Street brand is comparable to Grande. I still use Grande at one of my shops that I own with my brother. I’m trying to convince him that the Grande is way over priced. Anyone else paying $3.25 per pound for Grande?
 
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I’ve used grande diced EC blend for almost 3 years and have NEVER paid $3.25. At the height of last year’s price increase, I paid $91 a case ($3.00). This week it’s $82.50. I’d shop around for sure.
 
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Cheese futures vary from day to day. They have been holding steady for 5 weeks so I don’t see any relief in sight. If they do drop, they won’t come down to what the price was. They rarely do.
 
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andreingistov:
Smart and Final’s First Street brand is comparable to Grande.
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I purchased some First Street Mozz from Cash and Carry and it was . . . bad. Gritty texture and baked-up rubbery and just plain nasty. Suitable for Little Caesars and below. Quickly crossed-off my list of possible cheeses, I’d never serve this product to customers. Your results may vary.

BTW, the best cheese I’ve found during our baking trials and menu development is Trader Joes’ whole milk mozz. I need to source this one out and find out how to buy it wholesale.
 
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CME is up big over the past 2 - 3 weeks. Anyone know what, besides the price of oil, that is driving this push upwards?
 
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going up 11 cents this coming week I hear.I think if we get any relief it wont be until xmas break when it usually goes down a little.
 
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We still use Grande, no matter what! It’s not cheap, but always consistent. So, I guess we will ride the wave… 😃
 
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Yep. cheese went up .12 cents this week. Now at $2.33/lb 😦

With as much as we all typically go through each week, I wonder what everyone does when it reaches a certain point. Just raise prices across the board, or is it a better idea to add on a temporary cheese surcharge until prices come back down?
 
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I think a surcharge is a bad idea.if you havent raised prices for a while now may be the time to do so.
 
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