Celebrating Our 40th Anniversary!
Dear Tropical Family,
It is with great pride that I announce the 40th Anniversary of Tropical Cheese Industries. Allow me to reflect on these 40 years and tell you a little bit about the origins of Tropical Cheese. The idea for Tropical began in 1980. I didn’t know anything about cheese at that time and was already focused on developing my milk business, Mendez Dairy. Many told me not to get into the cheese business, but I persisted because I knew that there was a need for an authentic Caribbean cheese in the NY/NJ metro area. It is true that I didn’t know anything about cheese at that time, so I began my search for a cheesemaker that would be able to help me realize my vision. My search eventually took me to the Dominican Republic where I met Roberto Encarnacion. Roberto was working in a cheese plant there and after some discussion and convincing he came to the United States and helped us establish Tropical Cheese. The first piece of cheese, Queso Blanco, hit the bodega shelves in March of 1982.
Looking back over these 40 years, it’s hard to believe all that we have accomplished. What began as a dream and a vision to bring Caribbean cheeses to the northeast has grown into an extremely diversified product portfolio consisting of over 200 items catering to all Latinos. We now have Caribbean, Mexican, Central American, and South American product lines as well as many items that appeal to our general market consumers. Tropical began selling to stores in NY and NJ and now you can find Tropical Cheese in almost every state throughout the United States and even some Caribbean islands. We have truly become the one stop shop for all Latino Dairy needs and more, all while focusing on our attention to detail, authenticity, and the craftsmanship that have allowed us to become the market leaders with nationally acclaimed, award winning products.
As I look forward to the next 40 years, I can see that our future is bright. We have so much more that we can accomplish together, more geographies to expand to, and more delicious authentic products that we will make. We will continue to meet the needs of our consumers as they grow and evolve and we will do so with the same dedication to quality and excellence that has been the hallmark of Tropical’s success over the last 40 years.
Finally, I would like to conclude with a sincere and heartfelt thank you to all of you, my Tropical family. Seeing the company that Tropical is today is truly a dream come true and none of this would have been possible without you. I hope you feel the same pride in knowing that each of you have directly contributed to Tropical’s success.
God Bless the Tropical Cheese Family.
Rafael Mendez,
President and CEO
