Rogue Creamery Receives 2013 Small Business Award for Innovation and Leadership
Portland, Oregon (May 20, 2013) Today, Rogue Creamery’s co-owners, David Gremmels and Cary Bryant, were presented the Small Business Administration Director’s Impact Award by Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber at the SBA Small Business Week Luncheon at the Portland Art Museum.
Every spring, the SBA recognizes small businesses across the country during Small Business Week. 98 % of the employers in Oregon are small business owners, and these awards were created to recognize the hard work, commitment and perseverance of these owners. The SBA award follows earlier awards and recognition including the Governor’s Sustainable Tourism Award in 2007 for a commitment to community and sustainability and in 2013, Ernst & Young recognition for leadership and innovation. Rogue Creamery has been named one of the Top 100 Best Green Companies in Oregon for the 4th consecutive year. David Gremmels currently serves on Oregon’s Sustainability Board as a board member.
Since co-owners David Gremmels and Cary Bryant took over in 2002, Rogue Creamery has been dedicated to sustainability in its cheesemaking, fully participating in the 3 R’s: reducing waste, reusing whey, and using recycled content in packaging.
Co-Owner Cary Bryant says “The mission of sustainability drives everything we do at Rogue Creamery fromthe Nellie Green Pedal Power bike commute program to the solar panels installed atop our cheesemaking building”. The solar project, which currently generates 45% of Rogue Creamery’s power production, is one of the largest in Southern Oregon. The Creamery is well on the way to fulfilling its original vision and mission to power the whole facility with renewable energy resources.“ Turning on the power for our solar panels gave Cary and me such great joy,” notes David Gremmels. “Knowing we are helping the environment by watching the energy consumption move backwards is too impressive for words. Bring on the sun!”
Rogue Creamery, founded in 1933, has been making some of the country’s best blue cheese since the 1950’s. Rogue Creamery’s Rogue River Blue was crowned Best in Show for the second time in three years in 2011 at the American Cheese Society Competition beating out 1,675 other competitors. At the 25th World Cheese Awards in Birmingham, England in 2012, Rogue Creamery’s Rogue River Blue was awarded “Super Gold” and crowned Best American Cheese.
The Creamery offers the only vertically integrated third party certified sustainable cheese in the U.S and is certified sustainable by Food Alliance and Steritech. The cow dairy that supplies Rogue Creamery’s milk is certified sustainable by Food Alliance. Rogue Creamery ensures a consistently delicious and healthful experience for its customers through its commitment to sustainability and comprehensive food safety processes which are third party certified.