“It is with great regret that we have to confirm that we will no longer be able to continue making Liberté cream cheese, which meets the expectations of our consumers,” reads a statement on Liberté’s website.
The Koporovsky family of Jewish immigrants from Russia founded Liberte in 1936 in the heart of Montreal’s Plateau neighborhood, initially selling kosher cream cheese, cottage cheese and sour cream.
The company was purchased by Yoplait in 2010 and General Mills in 2021. General Mills also owns the Bold Cultr brand, which produces an animal-free alternative to cream cheese.
Jewish Montreal food historian Kat Romanow broke the news in “An Elegy for Liberté Cream Cheese: A Montreal Bagel Schmear Like No Other” on Nosher.
“I was in shock,” he wrote. “This cream cheese has for years been a mainstay on the tables of Jewish Montrealers. I couldn’t imagine it not being a part of the city’s bagel culture.”
Wandering Chew co-founder Kat Romanow said discontinuing the Liberté cream cheese is a shame because, paired with a bagel, it’s a truly Montreal experience. SOURCE: Wandering Chew She wasn’t the only one who felt that way. “It was truly a shock to us when we received the email on April 27th informing us that as of July 18th our beloved Liberté will no longer be produced,” said Fairmount Bagel Food Safety Manager Elizabeth Malcolm. The popular bagel shop said it ordered more inventory to keep the product available for as long as possible, but supplies didn’t last. “Many people, when they heard the news, started buying several containers at once,” he said. Malcolm said it was clear which brand Fairmount customers preferred to pair with their bagels. “We know our customers, as well as our families, are upset; it was the best of the cream cheeses,” he said. “From the texture to the taste, it was a superior product. Not to mention the pride in having a local product. We will truly miss it.” Liberté and General Mills said there isn’t enough demand for it. However, General Mills relaunched the previously discontinued Dunkaroos in 2020.
