Kraft Natural Cheese Celebrates Back-to-School Season with Family-Focused Events Across Chicagoland

Following a successful kickoff at Oakbrook Center, the brand invites families to join the fun Aug. 21–22 at Westfield Old Orchard

CHICAGO, Aug. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Kraft Natural Cheese is celebrating the back-to-school season with free, family-friendly experiences across Chicagoland. After welcoming more than 3,000 attendees to its first activation at Oakbrook Center, the celebration continues Aug. 21–22 at Westfield Old Orchard with interactive activities, photo opportunities and product sampling.

Designed to help families kick off the school year, the first experience invited guests to capture complimentary professional first-day-of-school photos with Stringy, Kraft Natural Cheese's larger-than-life string cheese character, against a playful back-to-school backdrop featuring oversized lockers and a larger-than-life backpack. Families also enjoyed hands-on activities, including personalized lunchbox notes and coloring sheets, while sampling Kraft Natural Cheese String Cheese and taking home branded giveaways, including keychains and sticker sheets.

"Kraft Natural Cheese is all about bringing families together, whether that's around the table or through experiences that celebrate life's everyday moments," said Dhriti Batra, Director of Kraft Natural Cheese at Lactalis Heritage Dairy. "Back-to-school is one of those special times of year, and we were excited to celebrate the season with activities, photo opportunities and snacks that helped make the occasion even more memorable."

The back-to-school experiences reflect Kraft Natural Cheese's commitment to bringing families together through meaningful moments, both in-store and beyond the grocery aisle.

With a portfolio spanning String Cheese, shredded cheese, slices, blocks and recently introduced Lactose-Free varieties, Kraft Natural Cheese offers options for every occasion, from lunchboxes and after-school snacks to family meals.

The Kraft Natural Cheese back-to-school celebration continues Aug. 21–22 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Bloom at Westfield Old Orchard, located at 4905 Old Orchard Center in Skokie, Illinois. For more information and recipe inspiration, visit www.kraftnaturalcheese.com or follow the brand on Instagram @kraft.naturalcheese.

About Kraft Natural Cheese
Kraft Natural Cheese has been a trusted household name since 1904, delivering exceptional quality and flavor to mealtimes around the world. With a commitment to craftsmanship and innovation, Kraft Natural Cheese continues to be the go-to choice for families and food enthusiasts alike with its broad portfolio of natural cheeses including shreds, chunks and slices. As part of the Lactalis Heritage Dairy portfolio of brands, Kraft Natural Cheese has more than 150+ years of combined dairy experience reflected in its cheesemaking. For more information and for recipe inspiration, visit www.kraftnaturalcheese.com or follow the brand on Instagram @kraft.naturalcheese.

About Lactalis USA
Lactalis USA is committed to enriching lives by producing nutritious and great-tasting dairy products. The company offers an unrivaled house of beloved dairy brands in the United States including Galbani® Italian cheeses, Président® specialty cheeses and gourmet butters, Kraft® brands in natural and grated cheeses, Breakstone's® cottage cheese, ricotta and sour cream, Cracker Barrel® cheese, Black Diamond® cheddar cheese, Parmalat® milk, yogurt brands such as siggi's®, Stonyfield Organic®, Brown Cow™, Green Mountain Creamery®, Mountain High®, Yoplait®, Go-Gurt®, :ratio®, Oui® and Karoun®, Gopi®, Arz® and other brands in the ethnic channel. The following registered trademarks are used under license: Yoplait® Go-Gurt®, and Oui® owned by Yoplait Marques SNC, and KRAFT® owned by Kraft Foods.

In the United States, the company has approximately 5,000 employees, with 13 manufacturing facilities located in 9 states, and corporate offices in New York City, San Fernando, Calif., Chicago, Ill., Minneapolis, Minn., Buffalo, N.Y. and Bedford, N.H. Lactalis USA is part of Lactalis Group, the world's leading dairy company, a French family business founded in 1933 in Laval, France.

For more information about Lactalis USA's divisions, visit www.lactalisamericangroup.com

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SOURCE Kraft Natural Cheese