Paul Scharfman in 1991 started Specialty Cheese Company in rural Wisconsin after a 12-year career as a marketer for Kraft Heinz. The company now makes 35 cheese varieties, including for Hispanic, Middle Eastern and Brazilian cuisine, sold nationwide in retailers like Costco and Wegmans, with anticipated sales of $40 to $50 million this year.

A new state-of-the art dairy in Ohio will produce Non-GMO Project Verified milk for the Danone North America yogurt facility, which is just 18 miles away. The Danone facility is North America's largest yogurt-making site and produces brands including Activia, Danimals, Oikos, Dannon and Light & Fit.

Baskin Robbins' Mint Chocolate Chip Oreos are scheduled to reach retailers' shelves this week. "It's minty, it's chocolatey, it's creamy, it's cool," one Instagram poster wrote.

McDonald's, with Turner Duckworth, has been working to create a consistent global visual brand identity, drawing inspiration from its 1971 feel-good campaign "You deserve a break today" from Needham, Harper & Steers. The identity centers around McDonald's golden arches, which are now allowed to be used as a standalone icon that can be interpreted creatively by different local markets, and the brand has adopted a single font, Speedee, with yellow now the predominant color supplemented by red.

A group of culinary students from a Milwaukee high school recently won a contest to develop a new ice cream flavor that would be served at an area shop. The flavor -- Bango Helado Con Chamoy -- is a beet and mango ice cream that also includes hot sauce.

Kroger's 84.51 personalized marketing subsidiary has introduced a paid analytics solution for brands. The platform, called Stratum, is designed to accelerate brand positioning both in-store and online.