Welcome Back, Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese

More than 7 months after suffering a voluntary recall of their Les Freres, Petit Frere and Petit Frere with Truffle cheeses, Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese in Waterloo, Wisconsin is back in business this week, resulting in a collective cheer of "whoo-hoo!" from mozzarella lovers everywhere.

Crave Brothers Farmstead Rope, Fresh Mozzarella Logs, Fresh Mozzarella Balls, and their many fresh mozzarella balls in brine - including my favorite, Marinated Ciliegine - are back in stores. As I stocked the shelves at Metcalfe's Market Hilldale this afternoon (where I work as the specialty cheese manager), customers stopped and put packages of the cheese in their carts before I could even get them onto the shelf. I'm thinking I'm going to have to re-order before the weekend.

While the family has remained understandably quiet since the plant shut down in July, the industry has rallied around the Craves with virtual hugs, supportive emails and note cards, wishing them a full recovery and healthy road to get back on their feet. This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted on their website that "this outbreak appears to be over" and the Craves posted a simple "We're making Cheese!" on their website.

So here's a hearty welcome back to Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese (insert giant hug here). We sure missed you guys.