Award-winning Hispanic cheese brand brings more than 50 years of heritage to restaurant operators.
- Strategic Foodservice Expansion: Award-winning Hispanic cheese brand La Vaquita is officially expanding into the foodservice sector, making its authentic portfolio available to restaurant operators nationwide for the first time.
- Versatile, Kitchen-Ready Portfolio: The new La Vaquita foodservice lineup features six high-performance varieties, including Queso Fresco, Cotija, and Quesadilla Shreds, specifically packaged to improve back-of-house efficiency and consistent prep.
- Meeting Surging Market Demand: Backed by the Dairy Farmers of America, this expansion directly addresses massive consumer demand for authentic Hispanic ingredients and capitalizing on the double-digit growth within the Hispanic cheese category.
KANSAS CITY, Kan., Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As demand for Hispanic cuisine continues to grow, La Vaquita®, the award-winning Hispanic cheese brand, is expanding its foodservice business nationally. The move brings La Vaquita’s authentic cheeses to operators throughout the United States to meet consumers’ demand for traditional Hispanic ingredients.
La Vaquita’s foodservice portfolio helps restaurants bring Hispanic flavor to a wide range of dishes, just as it has done for homes across Texas for five decades. La Vaquita cheeses combine authenticity, quality, and a broad portfolio of offerings in one trusted brand, supporting applications from crumbled toppings and bold garnishes to melted, seared, and fried cheeses, including enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, and bowls. La Vaquita’s varieties crafted for restaurant operators include:
- Queso Fresco
- Queso Cotija
- Queso Blanco
- Queso Freir
- Queso Panela
- Queso Quesadilla
La Vaquita’s Expansion Fulfills Restaurant Needs
The expansion comes as Hispanic cuisine continues to gain momentum across U.S. menus, with the U.S. Mexican restaurant industry valued at approximately $105 billion in 2026 with roughly 52,000 businesses operating nationally. Today, Mexican cuisine represents about 1 in 10 U.S. restaurants and is present in nearly every county in the country. At the same time, the Hispanic cheese category continues to deliver double-digit growth, fueled by consumer demand for authentic flavors and menu innovation.
“As more people continue to seek Hispanic foods, operators are looking for traditional, high-quality cheeses to help create differentiated dining experiences,” said David Garascia, Vice President of Sales, Foodservice at DFA. “For over 50 years, La Vaquita has been helping bring families and friends together around delicious, authentic recipes. We are excited to deepen the relationships with consumers and restaurant operators by delivering La Vaquita’s award-winning cheeses to foodservice through authentic craftsmanship, quality, and consistency.”
In addition to offering authentic flavor, the portfolio supports back-of-house efficiency with foodservice-ready packaging and formats designed for consistent prep, easier handling, and dependable performance. Operators can source a broad range of Hispanic cheese varieties from a single trusted brand known for its quality, safety, and unparalleled service levels.
“La Vaquita brings authentic flavor to every plate,” said Nico Ramos, Chef and Owner, Antigua Latin Inspired Kitchen. “The cheeses remind me of the flavors I grew up with, and they deliver the consistency and performance I need in a professional kitchen. Whether I’m crumbling Queso Fresco, creating a creamy sauce with Queso Blanco, or adding the bold finish of Cotija, I know I’m working with a product that brings the best to every dish.”
Founded in 1971 by Maria Castro, who began making Queso Fresco in her Houston home, today La Vaquita is available at retailers in Texas and beyond. La Vaquita products, from fresh cheeses to butter to cremas, have earned recognition at national and international cheese competitions, including Best of Class honors at the 2026 World Championship Cheese Contest. For more information visit https://lavaquitacheese.com/products/.
La Vaquita
Founded in Houston in 1971 by Maria Castro, La Vaquita® has spent more than 50 years crafting authentic Hispanic cheeses inspired by recipes and traditions passed down through generations. Today, the award-winning brand offers a broad portfolio of Hispanic cheeses known for exceptional flavor, quality, and consistency. Long recognized by consumers for its heritage and authenticity, La Vaquita now serves both retail and foodservice customers with products designed to meet the needs of modern kitchens. La Vaquita is a farmer-owned brand of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a leading global dairy cooperative owned by 9,000 family dairy farmers. Learn more at LaVaquitacheese.com.
Dairy Farmers of America
Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) is a farmer-owned leading global dairy cooperative focusing on sustainability, innovation, community, and the future of family dairies. While supporting and serving 9,000 farmer-owners, DFA manufactures nearly every form, function, and flavor of high-quality nutritional dairy products, including fluid milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, dairy ingredients, and more. These products connect our Cooperative’s family farms to family tables with national and regional brands, such as Alta Dena® Dairy, Meadow Gold® Dairy, Friendly’s®, Borden® Cheese, Plugrà® Premium Butter, and Kemps®, to name a few. On a global scale, we work with some of the world’s leading food companies to develop ingredients that deliver the greatest source of nutrition to consumers around the world, while staying committed to social responsibility and ethical farming. For more information, visit dfamilk.com.
Contact: Kyleigh Reddick, Media Relations
816-801-6094, kconkling1@dfamilk.com
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SOURCE Dairy Farmers of America
