Name dumped: Canadian owners melt over ‘racist’ Aussie Coon cheese

Stephen Hagan says ‘common sense has prevailed’ with the decision of Coon’s Canadian owners to retire the Australian cheddar name.

Activist and businessman Stephen Hagan, in Darwin, is campaigning to have Coon cheese renamed. Pictures: Glenn Campbell/Supplied

Aboriginal activist Stephen Hagan says “common sense has prevailed” with the decision of Canadian conglomerate Saputo to dump the “Coon” cheese brand after he complained to company bosses that it was racist.

In an email to Dr Hagan on Friday morning, Montreal-based chief executive Lino Saputo Jr said the company had “decided to retire the Coon brand name”.

Dr Hagan has lobbied for more than 20 years for a change to the Coon cheese brand, which its Australian manufacturers have long argued was named after American Edward William Coon, who in 1926 patented the “ripening process” for the original product.

Last month, Dr Hagan wrote directly to Mr Saputo — the grandson of company founder Giuseppe — saying Coon cheese should be “consigned to the past of outdated racist brands’’.

Dr Hagan said it was a “landmark decision” from the Canadian company, which in 2015 bought out Lion Dairy and Drinks, the then owner of the Coon cheese line of products, and turned over more than $15bn in revenue last year.

“Common sense has prevailed with the powerful decision of Lino Saputo Jr, chair and CEO of Saputo, to the retirement of Coon as a brand of cheese produced by his company,’’ he said.

“This powerful message is also a strong message to those people in our community who have thoughts of making an unpopular stand on contentious issues.

“I say to them, don’t let the keyboard bullies and conservative social commentators dictate their narrative on what is right and wrong.

“The decision speaks volumes of effective 21st century leadership demonstrated by the chair and CEO of the company that retired their offensive brand name Coon from their myriad of dairy products on offer in stores.”

In his email to Dr Hagan, and supported in a statement by its local division Saputo Dairy Australia, Mr Saputo said the decision followed a “careful and diligent review of this sensitive situation”.