Cheer (stylised as CHEER), formerly marketed as Coon, is the Australian

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...

of a

cheddar cheese Cheddar cheese (or simply cheddar) is a natural cheese that is relatively hard, off-white (or orange if colourings such as annatto are added), and sometimes sharp-tasting. Cheddar originates from the English village of Cheddar in Somerset. Ched ...

(known as "tasty" in Australia) produced by the

Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Warrnambool Cheese & Butter Factory Company Holdings Limited (WCB) is an Australian-based company manufacturing dairy products, majority-owned by Saputo Inc., a Canadian company, that manufactures a range of dairy products under various brands. ...

company, which is majority-owned by Canadian dairy company

Saputo Inc. Saputo Inc. is a Canadian dairy company based in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1954 by the Saputo family. It produces, markets, and distributes a wide array of dairy products, including cheese, fluid milk, extended shelf-life milk and cream prod ...

The

Kraft Walker Cheese Co. Fred Walker (5 January 1884 – 21 July 1935) was an Australian businessman and founder of Fred Walker & Co. (two incarnations, the first in Hong Kong, the second in Melbourne) and the Fred Walker Company in Melbourne. He also set up Kraft W ...

(a partnership between

Fred Walker Frederick, Frederic, Friedrich or Fred Walker may refer to: *Frederick Walker (native police commandant) (died 1866), explorer * Frederick Walker (painter) (1840–1875), English painter and illustrator *Frederic John Walker (1896–1944), ...

and James L. Kraft) launched a cheese known as "Red Coon" around 1931. In October 1949,

Kraft Foods Inc. Kraft Foods Inc. was a multinational confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It marketed many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earned more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell H ...

registered the trademark "COON" for cheese with the

US Patent Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Alexa ...

, claiming use since 1910. The company formerly stated that the name derived from the American cheesemaker Edward Coon of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, who patented a method in the US in 1926 for fast maturation of cheese via high temperature and humidity. Note: Archived page will not display properly without an alternative to Adobe Flash (discontinued 31 Dec 2020). On 13 January 2021, the chair and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Saputo Inc. announced that "Coon" cheese was to be rebranded as "Cheer" cheese, the new name scheduled to be launched in July 2021. The name was chosen to signify happiness. On 9 November 2022, Saputo Australia announced that the company will close its Maffra factory in the Gippsland region of Victoria, and lay off up to 75 workers following issues with milk supply and a A$54.4 million annual losses. The company generated a A$30.6 million net profit in the previous year.

History

Background

In 1916, Fred Walker – after having had some success with manufacturing foods – learnt of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

businessman James L. Kraft's processing method of halting the maturation of cheese. Walker went to the United States to meet him and acquire the Australian rights to use this method. He began a partnership with Kraft to manufacture this "

processed cheese Processed cheese (also known as process cheese, cheese food, prepared cheese, cheese product, or plastic cheese) is a food product made from cheese and unfermented dairy ingredients mixed with emulsifiers. Additional ingredients, such as vegeta ...

" in 1925, and in May 1926, the Kraft Walker Cheese Co. was registered – the

parent company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

of Kraft Foods Ltd. Kraft Walker then began to make processed "Kraft Cheddar Cheese" at their

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at ...

plant. Article includes historical information about a stamp used by Kraft Foods Ltd. in 1932 in Australia.

Red Coon (1931–1959)

From around July 1931, a cheese was marketed by Kraft Walker Cheese Co. as "Red Coon", which was "not processed in any way, but very finely matured by a secret method, which gives it a distinctive mellow flavor and smooth consistency". The same article refers to "special technical staff, which ereengaged in the preparation of new products", including Red Coon. The cheese was also advertised as being "2 years old". Walker had hired

Cyril Callister Cyril Percy Callister (16 February 1893 – 5 October 1949) was an Australian chemist and food technologist who developed the Vegemite yeast spread. As well as Vegemite, he is known for his contributions towards processed cheese. Early lif ...

as chief scientist and production superintendent of his factory, and it was he who had formulated

Vegemite Vegemite ( ) is a thick, dark brown Australian food spread made from leftover brewers' yeast extract with various vegetable and spice additives. It was developed by Cyril Callister in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1922. A spread for sandwiches, ...

and the Kraft Walker recipe for

. Callister also built up a well-staffed laboratory at the factory. According to author, academic and activist Stephen Hagan, Red Coon cheese used a different method to Coon's, as it was pasteurised, which was not part of his patented process. In November 1934 Kraft Walker leased the factory owned by

at Allansford, and soon expanded it. Red Coon was coated with red

wax Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to giv ...

, later replaced with

cellophane Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose. Its low permeability to air, oils, greases, bacteria, and liquid water makes it useful for food packaging. Cellophane is highly permeable to water vapour, but may be coated w ...

, and the red stripe in the current

logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordma ...

is a residual reference to the original packaging. It also said that production of Red Coon paused in December 1942 because of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and began again in June 1948 at Allansford and also at Quinalow on the

Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was generall ...

in Queensland. On 7 October 1949, Kraft Foods registered the trademark "COON" with the

, claiming use since 1910. In November 1951, a new Kraft-Walker factory, primarily for the manufacture of processed cheese, was opened in Northgate,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. The buildings included a cool store for Red Coon cheese, which was being made at Quinalow in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, and described as "mature cheese". It is described as "mature" in many advertisements and articles in the 1950s, although one article explicitly excludes it from the category of Cheddar cheeses. "Red Coon" cheese was referred to in a discussion about grading cheese in the

Queensland Parliament The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral s ...

in December 1958. Advertising under this name seem to have dried up in 1959.

Coon (1959–2021)

In 1959, Coon "Tasty" cheese started appearing in the press, with an illustrated advertisement showing labels which call the processed product "cheddar" and the Coon variety, sold in packages, described as "Kraft natural tasty Coon Cheese, fully matured", with a "robust flavour men really appreciate". A 1961 ad, also in the ''

Australian Women's Weekly ''The Australian Women's Weekly'', sometimes known as simply ''The Weekly'', is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by Mercury Capital in Sydney. For many years it was the number one magazine in Australia before being outsold by th ...

'', shows a slightly different label, including the information that it is "Manufactured in Melbourne" by Kraft Foods Ltd. The ad says it is "aged to full maturity", and its marketing suggests its appeal to "active men".

21st century

Lion Dairy & Drinks Bega Dairy & Drinks is a subsidiary of Australian diversified food company Bega Cheese, having been purchased from the Japanese company Kirin (who owns Lion in Australia) in November 2020. While owned by Kirin, it was known as Lion Dairy & D ...

operated the brand for some years, until Warrnambool Cheese and Butter bought back the brand in May 2015. Warrnambool Cheese and Butter is majority-owned by Canadian dairy company

On 13 January 2021, Lino A. Saputo, the chair and CEO of Saputo Inc., announced the rebranding of the cheese under the name "Cheer", which following years of controversy over its name.

Naming controversy

The former product name, which it shared with a

racial slur The following is a list of ethnic slurs or ethnophaulisms or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnicity or racial group or to refer to them in a derogatory, pejorative, or oth ...

, was defended by previous manufacturers Kraft Foods and

Dairy Farmers Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history th ...

despite decades-long campaigns to change it, including through challenges to the

Australian Human Rights Commission The Australian Human Rights Commission is the national human rights institution of Australia, established in 1986 as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and renamed in 2008. It is a statutory body funded by, but opera ...

in 1999 and Advertising Standards Bureau in 2001 by Hagan. In the public debate raised by the campaign to change it, some of those who objected to the change of name claimed that the term was not used as a derogatory term in Australia, rather being an American racist term. However, Hagan and

QNews ''QNews'' is an Australian online news outlet based in Brisbane, Queensland catering to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer communities in Australia. The first issue was published in December 2000. History ''QNews'' wa ...

reporter Destiny Rogers have said that the research in their e-book, ''COON: More Holes than Swiss Cheese'', shows the term was used in Australia as a derogatory term for

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

as well as other

people of colour The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...

, and was especially common between the 1870s and 1939 before fading from the language during World War II and coming back into use in the 1970s. Hagan again challenged the name in 2008, and said that Dairy Farmers had told him that it was named after Edward Coon, "who revolutionised the speeding process of making cheese". According to Hagan, this story had only first been mentioned by the brand owners in the 1980s. In the wake of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Australia, on 24 July 2020

announced the name would be changed. On 13 January 2021, Lino A. Saputo, the chair and CEO of Saputo Inc., announced the new name as "Cheer" cheese. He said, "Treating people with respect and without discrimination is one of our basic principles". A number of other Australian companies also rebranded some of their products which have names with racist connotations in 2020, and others face pressure to do so. , Hagan is claiming

legal damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognised at ...

of for what he calls "21 years of corporations undermining his claims that the cheese brand was not named after...William Edward Coon".

Coon's process

In 1926, American entrepreneur and

cheesemaker Cheesemaking (or caseiculture) is the craft of making cheese. The production of cheese, like many other food preservation processes, allows the nutritional and economic value of a food material, in this case milk, to be preserved in concentrat ...

Edward William Coon of

patented a method for fast maturation of cheese via high temperature and humidity,US Patent 1,579,196
patft.uspto.gov. (scan) 30 March 1926 His method explicitly excluded pasteurisation, which kills all bacteria and therefore allows cheese to last for much longer when stored. Coon once operated 14 cheese factories in

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

, before selling the businesses and going to work for the

Kraft-Phenix Cheese Company Kraft Foods Inc. was a multinational confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It marketed many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earned more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell H ...

in Philadelphia in 1928. He sold his patent for ripening cheese at the same time. Coon was kept on as manager until his death in 1934. From around October 1942, Kraft began to market a cheese as "Kraft Coon cheese" in the US, although it was not registered as a trademark until 1949.