443. Brand Stories: CHE-VITAL Cheese and Dairy Products of New Zealand Creamery, 1958

THE NEW CHEESE EXCITEMENT! Print Ad, 1967

One cheese brand with a long history in the Philippines—65 years in 2023—started out as CHE-VITAL Pasteurized Cheese made by New Zealand Creamery Inc. It was actually a company that was established in 1958 as a joint venture of the New Zealand Dairy Board. The arrangement was that the local company would provide the technology to manufacture the dairy products but this deal fell through.

CHE-VITAL. Golden rich, deliciously nourishing, 1967

A later partnership with Golden State of California in the 1960s (part of the American conglomerate, Foremost Dairy Group) resulted in a company called Golden State Phils., which was tasked with marketing and distribution of Golden State products. This partnership was eventually cancelled, and the local company founder decided to send his managers to Australia and NZ for training to learn the modern way of dairy product manufacturing.

CHE-VITAL CREAMERY BUTTER, Prind ad, 1967

With the new-found expertise, the company was set to relaunch under a new name. As it was taking too long for the Securities and Exchange Commission to approved the name, the founder revived the first company name-New Zealand Creamery, and so from 1962 onward, it had kept that name.

A CHE-VITAL CHRISTMAS, Print Ad 1978

The company’s best-known and best selling product turned out to be their CHE-VITAL cheese products, led by CHE-VITAL Pasteurized Cheese in 1962. One of the first cheese food brands in the market, CHE-VITAL was made from Australian dairy ingredients and packed in blocks.  CHE-VITAL became a favorite for making sandwiches, canapes, desserts and pastries.  By 1978, the cheese line came to include CHE-VITAL BLUE (Cheddar, packed in circular tin cans), CHE-VITAL Cheese Balls, CHE-VITAL Ham or Pimiento, and QBB Cheddar. There was also CHE-VITAL Fresh Butter, introduced in 1967.

CURRENT PRODUCT LINE, Source: New Zealand Creamery FB Page

Today, New Zealand Creamery continues to be productive as ever, still making longtime favorite CHE-VITAL: CHE-VITAL Pasteurized Process Cheese Food, CHE-VITAL Quickmelt, CHE-VITAL Cheddar, CHE-VITAL Fresh Creamery Butter. Still going strong is its  QBB Cheddar. Another powerhouse brand includes QUES-O Cheesefood, QUES-O Supermelt, QUES-O Cheesy Spread, and O-K Processed Filled Cheese Spread, a price brand. The company also makes the premium Queensland Butter in Cans, Queensland Pure Creamery Butter, Golden Crown Butter Compound, and Dairy Magic Margarine, used for cooking and baking. Indeed, with New Zealand Creamery cheese and dairy brands still around—the good life is yours to enjoy, on and on!

 SOURCES:

FB Page, New Zealand Creamery, https://www.facebook.com/newzealandcreameryinc

New Zealand Creamery Inc. website, https://newzealandcreameryinc.com/