May 29, 2008 9:36 AM

Monterey Gourmet Foods is expanding distribution of its Sonoma Cheese line of flavored Jack cheeses to nearly 400 more supermarkets nationwide. The brand also will appear in several other supermarket chains in the Southwest and in one of the nation’s top upscale mass merchandisers. Sonoma Cheese will be offered through national specialty food distributors that service more than 20,000 retail outlets.

The company recently finished repackaging the product line to highlight the brand’s heritage and quality. A new brick has parchment packaging with a watermark of the Sonoma "bull" logo, giving it a cleaner, more distinctive look. Relaunch of the line is being promoted by a sampling program and support from the California Milk Advisory Board as part of June Dairy Month.

Monterey Gourmet Foods produces fresh gourmet refrigerated food at its 133,000-square-foot corporate headquarters, distribution, and manufacturing facilities in Salinas CA, Seattle WA, and Eugene OR. The firm’s products are sold under the brands Sonoma Cheese, Monterey Pasta, CIBO Naturals, Emerald Valley Kitchen, and Casual Gourmet in more than 10,000 retail and club stores in the United States and parts of Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Asia Pacific.