NEW YORK, Aug. 4, /PRNewswire/ -- The Cyprus Association for the Promotion of Milk Products funded by the European Union announces that the CheesEU campaign has drastically increased sales of Halloumi(R) cheese as it is selling out faster than being imported.

The CheesEU two-year tactical promotional campaign aimed at increasing sales of Halloumi(R) cheese in the United States recently concluded with positive results. "The goal of the CheesEU campaign is to assist our partners in the US food industry at the retail level to increase awareness and sales of Halloumi(R) cheese among the American consumer," states Dennis Droushiotis, North American Managing Director. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) data reported that Halloumi(R) cheese imports to the U.S. increased by an astonishing 37% in the first quarter of 2009 as compared to the same period in 2008.

In addition, to increasing sales it was especially important to protect Halloumi's originality; therefore, much time and effort was spent vigilantly protecting Halloumi(R) with a U.S. certification mark, which guarantees Halloumi(R) is produced by its unique and historical methods on the island of Cyprus. North American Managing Director, Dennis Droushiotis notes, "Our trademark in the U.S. helps to ensure that the American consumers will enjoy authentic Halloumi(R) from Cyprus made in the unique traditional method, that uses sheep's and goat's milk and folding the cheese by hand."

The success of the CheesEU campaign was attributed to the extensive and strategic promotional measures executed. During the two-year period, CheesEU featured Halloumi(R) in six (6) national specialty food tradeshows as well as educational symposiums and press luncheons. The CheesEU campaign included national advertising in major consumer and trade publications. One of the most important components of the CheesEU campaign was the organization of over 400 in-store tastings for 2008 in key U.S. metropolitan markets, which took place in national supermarket chains, such as Whole Foods as well as regional grocery chain stores in various states, such as Sweetbay Supermarkets in Florida, Gristedes Grocery Stores in New York and Gelson's Markets in California.

Along with traditional marketing and promotional activities described above, the CheesEU campaign included innovative measures, resulting in immense publicity in the trade industry. For example, CheesEU joined efforts with world renowned culinary institutes in New York City. The objective was to introduce Halloumi(R) to rising chefs assisting culinary schools. Culinary institutes are the source of new ideas in the restaurant world; in addition, this tactic created a snowball effect as culinary students spread their knowledge on Halloumi(R) cheese to new grounds. The CheesEU campaign partnered with celebrity chef Christine Cushing (www.christinecushing.com) to curate and demonstrate exciting, delicious Halloumi(R) recipes for cheese aficionado consumers to prepare at their household. Lastly, targeted national promotions were performed, which included distributing recipe brochures and CheesEU information kits to restaurants in the USA and Canada, to encourage their kitchens to include Halloumi(R) in their menu.

World-renown, celebrity chefs are discovering the unique versatility of Halloumi(R) as it can be grilled, broiled, barbequed or sauteed and still maintain its texture. Since the launch of the CheesEU campaign, Halloumi(R) repeatedly appears on famous gourmet chef's TV programs on the Food Network, such as Rachel Ray Show. In addition, Jeff McInnis from the hit Bravo TV show, Top Chef Season 5 featured Halloumi(R) in his dish for the episode entitled, Twelve Nights of Christmas. Michael Psilakas, New York City chef and restaurateur, raves about his love for Mediterranean cheese and specifically described the mythical Halloumi(R) cheese as "Halloumi is a strange and lovely cheese with its squeaky texture and high melting point, it maintains it bounce even if you grill it or saute it to a golden crust" As Halloumi(R) has quickly became a top seller, the press and media featured this Cypriot cheese in their publications. Although the CheesEU promotional campaign has ended, press and media coverage as well as sales continue to proliferate.

The Cyprus Association for the Promotion of Milk Products was formed in January 2007 as the result of a joint undertaking between The Republic of Cyprus and the European Union. The Association's mission is to increase consumer awareness and sales of Cyprus sheep and goat cheese products in the U.S. and Canadian markets. Dennis C. Droushiotis, North American Managing Director of the Association, leads its marketing activities from their New York based office.

SOURCE Cyprus Association for the Promotion of Milk Products

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