• by Karlene Lukovitz , August 10, 2010

Best Cheese Corp., the U.S. division of Holland's largest cheese company, UnieKaas International, B.V., has launched dual Web sites -- one to help meal preparers easily determine which cheeses and dairy products are best-suited for specific meal times (and how to use them), and another to provide an international forum for culinary professionals and cheese connoisseurs.

The heart of the site geared to mainstream cooks, Dairy Dial (dairydial.com) is a dial app that enables users to click on a meal occasion (breakfast, brunch, lunch, snacks, dinner, late night) and immediately see which types and Best Cheese brands of imported Dutch and domestically produced Goat Farm artisanal cheese products are best-suited for that meal, as well as appropriate food pairings, suggested recipes and detailed information about specific cheeses.

The site -- which over time may also include non-Best Cheese products -- also automatically highlights which meal time is currently underway in the specific user's time zone. With maximum ease of use in mind (for mobile, as well as at-home users), Dairy Dial enables access to all areas, including a store locator, without dealing with pop-ups or ever having to leave the home page. Users can readily print and post comments about recipes, or share them via Facebook, Twitter and other social media networks. They can also readily share information about specific cheeses/dairy products via social media.

Paralleling the evolution of wine in the U.S., the variety of cheeses available in stores -- including mass grocery chains as well as more upscale/specialty retailers -- has grown exponentially in the past decade, points out Jeroen Bours, founder and creative director of New York-based Darling Agency, which created the sites for new client Best Cheese.

Just as Americans have come to be knowledgeable about and appreciate the varieties and quality of wines emanating from both domestic wineries and many countries (not just France, once the de facto choice), they can benefit now from user-friendly tools/information sources to learn about and make informed selections from the daunting number of cheeses now available in retail outlets, sums up Bours.

For example, for breakfast, "young, light" cheeses -- as opposed to aged, heavier Gouda varieties -- are generally best, he explains.

Meanwhile, culinary professionals, cheese connoisseurs and those eager to become connoisseurs can turn to DairyDiary.com (which is nearly devoid of branding elements, save for a small ad for Coach Farm goat milk-based products and an unobtrusive link to Dairy Dial) to share preferences, appreciation and gourmet inspirations.

Currently featuring content from/links into existing blogs devoted to cheese and gourmet topics, Dairy Diary will evolve to feature original guest writer/blog content from international culinary experts, says Bours.

Starting in the fall, the two sites, launched last week, will be promoted through paid search, POP stickers on Best Cheese products packaging, and banner ads.

Banner ads for Dairy Dial will take a humorous approach, featuring various great moments from the "History of Cheese Inventions," such as the cheese carrier (1593), the modern cheese slicer (1927) ... and Dairy Dial (2010).