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Whether you enjoy Saga crumbled Blue on a salad, a slice of our Creamy Brie on a crusty baguette, baked brie in a flaky crust, or the classic Blue Brie as a distinctive treat, Saga quality cheeses pack big flavor in flavor in every little bite. Want recipe ideas and promotional news? Sign up for our monthly e-mail newsletter by clicking below!
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The Saga family of cheeses, which includes Blue, Blue Brie, Camembert, Creamy Brie, and Gorgozola, is known for its distinctive, vibrant flavor. Produced in the United States at the highest standards, Saga cheeses are a healthy treat at the end of the day or a perfect start to a festive occasion. Share Your Saga with us on Facebook.
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The Dairy
The Saga of Saga® – A Historic Past
The Saga® brand of cheeses has been built on a storied history that dates back to the 19th century in Denmark.
The hero of our story is Rasmus Tholstrup. In 1888, Tholstrup, a farmer’s son, left his hometown in Denmark to go to college, work as a dairy manager, and produce new types of cheese. At that time, every dairy in Denmark was producing butter for export to England. Demand was high and the craft was easy compared to making cheese. But due to his patience and dedication to the cheesemaking craft, Tholstrup began to receive many medals for his cheesemaking.
What made Rasmus Tholstup’s cheese so noteworthy? The answer lies in his two guiding principles: high hygiene standard at the dairy and a high milk quality. Growing up on a farm, he knew that the quality of milk depends on how cows are fed and kept. He challenged existing traditions, working with farmers to find innovative ways to keep herds. Also, Tholstrup overproduced his milk so that he could experiment with new cheese types.
Through these techniques, Tholstrup finally earned enough to buy his own dairy in 1899, and he settled there with his wife and eight children. The oldest son, Henrik, exhibited a great passion for cheese and a talent for business. Before World War I, Henrik sees an opportunity in the growing export of Danish cheese, realizing that Bornholm, a small Danish Island, has 18 dairies producing milk but none producing cheese. Opportunity called.
Years later in Copenhagen, Henrik leases a dairy producing milk, cream, and cheese, and he pours all his energy into producing the best cream quality ever. This means not only the best taste, but also the best foam and stability of foam. His company becomes a very big success in Copenhagen, with 26 milk cars delivering to customers.
Henrik then returns to Bornholm and starts up a production of Gorgonzola, but he is not allowed to export the products, so he moves the production to Sweden. At almost 50 years old, he at this point had laid the foundation for the future cheese company.
He then finds a 21-year-old cheese master named Jens. Over the next 50 years, this partnership brings innovative ideas to life. The two travel to Italy, France, and the rest of Europe to trade ideas and learn new techniques. They succeed making softer cheese types, but their most lasting success is their first Castello – a white mold cheese. In the U.S., they launch it as “Crema Danica,” and right from the outset, Americans are thrilled about the product. They move on to develop a cheese that would turn creamy when it matured and would have a taste of a Blue (English Stilton). The Blue Brie was born!
It took them 12 years to develop the product, but the results are an international success. Production grows and is moved to Denmark, where Henrik invests in more dairies. When Henrik suddenly dies, at 78, his wife insists that the second son Lars, age 44, must take command of the cheese company and keep it in the family. In 2006, the Tholstrup family decides it is time to sell the company. Arla acquires it and proudly continues the cheese traditions of the family.
