FireFly Farms Proudly Announces New Distribution Relationship with GOURM-E-CO IMPORTS

FireFly Farms (www.fireflyfarms.com), award-winning producer of artisanal goat cheeses from Marylands Allegheny Plateau, today announced its new distribution relationship with GOURM-E-CO Imports of Sterling, Virginia, one of the largest specialty food distributors in the Mid-Atlantic region.

BITTINGER, MD February 26, 2004--FireFly Farms (www.fireflyfarms.com), award-winning producer of artisanal goat cheeses from Marylands Allegheny Plateau, today announced its new distribution relationship with GOURM-E-CO Imports of Sterling, Virginia, one of the largest specialty food distributors in the Mid-Atlantic region. Moving forward, FireFlys four artisanal goat cheeses Allegheny Che, MountainTop Bleu, Merry Goat Round, and BNoir will be available to Mid-Atlantic restaurants and specialty retailers through GOURM-E-COs extensive catalog of fine cheeses and other specialty foods.

We are very excited about this new relationship, said Mike Koch, one of FireFlys four principal partners. GOURM-E-COs reach up and down the Mid-Atlantic region from Philadelphia to Atlanta will enable our cheeses to find a much broader audience and lets us as farmstead producers focus on the farm and the cheese making. And beyond the business prospects, the GOURM-E-CO team is rapidly becoming part of FireFlys extended family theyre good people.

GOURM-E-CO and FireFly Farms are proud members of the American Cheese Society and share a commitment to uphold the traditions and preserve the history of American cheese making. Pablo Solanet, cheese maker for FireFly Farms notes, we were very pleased that the cheeses won ACS awards when we'd only been producing them commercially for four months!"

Sandi Wickham, Vice President of Marketing for GOURM-E-CO comments, The FireFly cheeses are true American originals, and were pleased to make them part of our line. We often are the first major distributor to discover a manufacturers line and introduce them to a broad marketplace something were quite proud of. We have great expectations for our partnership with this wonderful regional producer.

About FireFlys Artisanal Goat Cheeses:
Allegheny Che is a traditional fresh goat cheese with a clean taste and a spreadable texture. The richness of this che is due to FireFlys Nubian goatherd and the rich butterfat quality of their milk. Its perfect at any time of the day, eaten alone or used in finer cuisines.

MountainTop Bleu, 2002 First Place Winner in the American Cheese Society Judging, is a surface-ripened blue-mold goat cheese. It takes its pyramidal shape from Valencay molds imported from France. Delicate blue-veining run through the cheese and blue and white-bloomed molds cover its surface. Aged five to eight weeks, its creamy texture is perfectly balanced with its piquant flavor.

Merry Goat Round, 2002 Third Place Winner in the American Cheese Society Judging, is FireFlys playful approach to goats milk brie. While it resembles that cheese in shape, its texture is slightly firmer and its taste is reminiscent of a young cheddar. Aged five to eight weeks, its a delightful addition to any menu and melt beautifully.

BNoir is FireFlys own black log. It is a sophisticated che log coated in vegetable ash with a white-bloomed rind. Aged for several weeks to mature its flavor and soften its body, this cheese is certain to please the most discerning of palates.

About FireFlyFarms:
Established in 2000, FireFlyFarms is dedicated to the art of cheese making.     FireFly Farms artisanal goat cheeses are made according to time-honored tradition they are produced and ripened with handmade care. We take special care to ensure the purity, quality, and clean flavor of our milk. Our aged cheeses are ripened naturally in a specially constructed aging room we shun short cuts and artificial techniques aimed at increasing yield or shelf life at the expense of quality. At FireFly, we believe in the interdependence of people with one another and with our environment, and we are committed to caring for the land and protecting biodiversity for todays communities and future generations.

About GOURM-E-CO Imports:
Started in the spring of 1973, GOURM-E-CO Imports founder Robert Eacho responded to the demand of retailers for a local importer of fine cheeses. From that humble beginning of bringing in a few cheeses to please a few local retailers, the company has grown to encompass the larger world of specialty foods, both domestic and imported including cheese, pates, smoked meat and fish, beverages and other grocery items. Today, GOURM-E-CO is one of the largest specialty food distributors in the Mid-Atlantic region, delivering products to retailers and institutional customers from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania through Atlanta, Georgia. Our customers are special people who demand the best the world has to offer for their customers. As the industry of specialty foods continues to grow and expand, GOURM-E-CO plans to do the same bringing the best of what is new and exciting to the marketplace. GOURM-E-CO is committed to bringing you the very best products to their customers as they become available.