Gilman Cheese is featured in the June 11, 2021 publication of Cheese Market News. The article, “Gilman Cheese Eyes New Innovation, Growth While Retaining Human Touch” spotlights Gilman’s doubled workforce this past year, it’s investment in their employees, and how the company is looking to 2021 as a year to build on strategic processes. “This year is about stabilization for us. We’re going to implement processes and policies to make sure we’ll improve on-time, in-full delivery, improve cost structure and improve our cheese procurement. Ensuring the engagement of our employees also is a big one,” says Gilman Cheese CFO Dave Schafer. “If we deliver there, profitability and revenue will follow suit. We’re taking the approach that if we improve internally, this will drive our revenue and margin improvement.”
Gilman Cheese values it’s production process that incorporates the human touch to inspection and packaging, therefore allowing for flexibility and better results. From 2019 to 2020, the company increased from processing 18 million pounds to 27 million pounds of cheese annually, and this year the forecast is between 34-36 million pounds. Gilman is also looking to expand it’s products into vending and convenience store companies, and in schools and correctional institutions.
Schafer also notes pride in his employees for working hard through the past difficult year and taking the extra care and precautions to help limit their exposure to COVID -19. The company incorporated strict protocols starting in March of 2020, and as a result, the company experienced only one case of the illness that transferred within its facility. Employees were paid in full if they were sick or had to quarantine, even if they stayed home for extended periods. Dave states, “We have really invested a lot in people. In today’s labor market, it’s really imperative not only to get people in the door, but to give them a fair wage and give them a voice.”
Read and learn more here.
