Coon Cheese unveils new name after racism concerns – myGC.com.au

It’s the end of an era for Australia’s iconic Coon Cheese, with the makers of the cheese finally revealing it’s brand new name. From July, the popular Dairy product will be known as “Cheer Cheese”. It comes following years of campaigning from Indigenous Australians, including Aboriginal activist Dr Stephen Haganthe, who claimed the name was racist. ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER THIS ADVERTISEMENT WANT TO SEE YOUR BUSINESS ADVERTISED HERE? Coon’s Canadian parent company Saputo confirmed the name change in a statement on Wednesday. “The name Cheer has the significance of pleasure and joy,” Saputo’s chief executive Lino Saputo said. “We took some time to think about this, we wanted to do the proper due diligence and consulted with different focus groups and we narrowed it down to three to five names and resoundingly consumers thought this was the right reflection of what we’re bringing for families. “There’s a lot of joy and happiness in it.” The company announced plans to ditch the name six months ago writing “After thorough consideration, Saputo has decided to retire the Coon brand name.” “We believe we all share in the responsibility to eliminate racism in all its forms and we feel this is an important step we must take to uphold this commitment.” Coon cheese was originally named after its founder, American Edward William Coon, who died in 1934.