Canadian bagel-lovers schmearless after beloved cream cheese disappears
Picture this: you’re in Montreal’s Mile End neighbourhood, headed to legendary bagel shop St-Viateur. You go to order your bagel only to find out that your favourite schmear, Liberté cream cheese, is no longer available.
You mourn the loss of a piece of Canadian culture.
Liberté has discontinued its cream cheese, and it’s a huge deal for bagel-lovers in Montreal and beyond. On the top of their FAQ page, Liberté briefly addressed the disappearance of a staple of bagel culture.
“It is with great sadness that we must confirm that we will no longer be able to continue making our Liberté cream cheese, which meets the expectations of our consumers,” they wrote.
Daily Hive reached General Mills, Liberté Inc.’s parent company, for comment and will update this story.
The cream cheese, which has been manufactured since 1937, was a standard issue at most of Montreal’s bagel shops, according to the company.
Its tangy taste enriched with ripe cultured butter flavour was craveable. Its fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth texture was unparalleled.
And its absence has been met with outrage and anguish.
“This cream cheese has been a mainstay on the tables of Jewish Montrealers for years,” wrote The Nosher. “I couldn’t imagine it not being part of the bagel culture of the city.”
A Twitter user who had reportedly been trying to source the product shared General Mill’s response to them about its unavailability.
“Unfortunately, this product has been discontinued and is no longer available. While you enjoyed this product, overall general demand was insufficient to warrant its continued distribution,” the company reportedly told them.
general demand was insufficient to warrant its continued distribution.
Your comments are important to our business. Please be assured that we will share them with the appropriate individuals.
Thank you again for contacting us. We appreciate your interest.
Sincerely,
Consumer Care— Ken MacKinnon 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🏴 😷 💉 (@KenMacKinnon17) August 26, 2022
What do you think, should they bring back Liberté cream cheese?