The retailers who attended the SIAL trip included:
- Olga Dominguez: Cheese Manager/Buyer, Zabar’s & Co., New York, NY
- Michael Duncan: Corp. Sr. Director, Deli/Food Service, Save Mart Super Markets, Modesto, CA
- Cathy Gaffney: Director, Wegmans Food Markets, Inc., Rochester, NY
- Jill Johnson: Sourcing Manager, Supervalu, Eden Prairie, MN
- Brian Morrison, Director of Stores, Clark’s Market, Aspen, CO
- Kala Nyx: Specialty Cheese Buyer, Market of Choice, Inc., Eugene, OR
- John Pearson: Category Manager, Giant Eagle Inc., Harmony, PA
- Anita Smithwick: Director, Deli/Food Service, Lowes Foods, Winston Salem, NC
- Amy Streeter: Sourcing Manager, Dairy, Safeway, Pleasanton, CA
- Gary Taylor, Deli Business Manager, United Supermarkets, Dallas TX
The unique trip included a tour of the Raival plant where they manufacture traditional recipe cheeses including Chatelain Brie, Vignotte and Indulgent Triple Crème. Additionally, The Retailers experienced a special tour of a wide array of French food retailers including Rungis, the world’s largest fresh produce market; Carrefour, a French hypermarket; along with upscale cheese shops and other gourmet retailers.
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The Cheese Importers Association of America, Inc. is a non-profit trade association formed more than sixty years ago whose membership comprises the vast majority of the firms engaged in the business of importing, selling, promoting, and distributing cheese and cheese products in the U.S. The CIAA endeavors to support dairy trade, within the context of compliance with international trade agreements, and all applicable US regulations.