Armenians
THEIR GROUNDBREAKING CONTRIBUTIONS REFLECT A LEGACY OF INNOVATION THAT CONTINUES TO INSPIRE FUTURE GENERATIONS
Antranig Baghdassarian
Founder, Karoun Dairies
Bio
Upon his graduation from Lebanon’s famed Nshan Palanjian Jemaran, Antranig Baghdassarian (born in Beirut) studied dairy science at the Lebanese Agricultural School as well as the UN Food and Agricultural Organization. Following further specialization in dairy sciences in Denmark between 1967 and 1969, Baghdassarian returned to Lebanon and for the next three decades worked with his father in the family business.
In 1990, Baghdassarian moved to the US with his family. Within two years, he opened Karoun Dairies, specializing in the manufacture of artisanal cheeses and cheese products. In 1999, Karoun Dairies moved into what is now its own 80,000-square-foot plant, where it could manufacture all its dairy products, which include Mediterranean yogurts, labne (also known as kefir cheese) and sour cream, and remain near its milk source.
While Baghdassarian had created Karoun Dairies to fill an ethnic-food niche, serving different specialty ethnic markets including Greek and Armenian, the company quickly moved into other specialty and natural stores, becoming a household name throughout the US.
Karoun’s various products have also won much critical and peer acclaim throughout the years. In August 2013, Karoun Dairies’ yogurts and cheeses won top prizes at the American Cheese Society conference, in Madison, Wisconsin. As one of California’s finest cheese artisans, Karoun was awarded the following prizes:
• Yogurts with No Additional Ingredients: First place (Karoun Yogurt);
• Fresh Un-ripened Cheese: Second place (Fresh Basket Cheese);
• Hispanic Un-ripened Style: Third place (Karoun Queso Fresco);
• Smoked Italian Style: Third place (Karoun Smoked Braided String Cheese).