{"id":4154,"date":"2024-12-12T03:02:17","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T03:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/the-keys-to-successful-cheese-collabs\/"},"modified":"2024-12-12T03:02:17","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T03:02:17","slug":"the-keys-to-successful-cheese-collabs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/the-keys-to-successful-cheese-collabs\/","title":{"rendered":"The Keys to Successful Cheese Collabs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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RLM Epoisses<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You might find the name of a cheesemaker or the name of an affineur on a package of cheese that comes from Europe. That\u2019s been much less common in America. But times are changing, and so is cheesemaking. Modern cheesemaking has evolved to include partnerships or collaborations among numerous players: those directly related to the cheese industry, such as dairies and dedicated affineurs, as well as those that aren\u2019t, such as other food and beverage brands, where cross-promotion comes into play.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Who Makes Cheese?<\/h2>\n
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Making cheese<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before industrialization, when cheese was largely a farmstead endeavor, cheesemakers were farmers and also affineurs. Cheesemaking was a one-stop shop. Any additional ingredients that may have been added to the cheese, or used in its making, were also likely made on premise, or sourced hyper-locally.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In contemporary cheesemaking, especially in the U.S., creameries can be independent enterprises from farms, with producers collecting milk from various sources. Affinage may not be done by those who make the cheese: young wheels may be transported locally, or even nationally, to finish their aging process in the hands of others. While there are still those producers who manage every aspect of the cheese from herd to curd to rind, more often contemporary artisanal cheese relies on a multi-faceted approach. \u201cCollaborations and cooperative farming have been fundamental to our business’s growth and stability,\u201d <\/em>says <\/em>Samuel Rheaume, Content Creator for Jasper Hill Farm<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at various ways that cooperation and collaboration have a hand in a modern cheese landscape.<\/p>\n

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Partnerships Between Dairies and Cheesemakers<\/h2>\n
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Jessica Sennett<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe survival of the dairy industry relies on collaborations,\u201d says Jessica Sennett, Founder of Cheese Grotto<\/a>. \u201cThe partnerships between dairy farmers and cheesemakers are essential for dairy farmers seeking a better-paying alternative to selling their high-quality dairy to a giant liquid milk buyer,\u201d she says. \u201cSince cheese is a value-added item for fluid milk, the quality of the milk is essential and incredibly valuable to cheesemakers.\u201d Value alignment among both parties is what drives modern artisanal cheesemaking.<\/p>\n

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Forming Cheesemaker Affineur Relationships<\/h2>\n
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Flory’s Truckle<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Specialized American affinage<\/a> is still in its infancy compared to how it is done in Europe, with essentially two major players in the game: Murray\u2019s Cheese Caves<\/a>, begun in 2004, and The Cellars at Jasper Hill<\/a>, from 2008, where many cheeses from around the country and even around the world go to finish their aging process. (Another affineur, Crown Finish Caves<\/a>, opened in 2014, but closed in 2022.) Smaller operations or partnerships have also connected a cheesemaker with another cheesemaker for affinage purposes, as had been the case between Midwestern-based Flory\u2019s Truckle<\/a> and Milton Creamery<\/a>, for example.<\/p>\n

The modern American cheese industry (and especially Vermont\u2019s powerhouse role in it,) owes much to these kinds of partnerships, which involve a tremendous degree of trust-building between operators. \u201cThe Cellars at Jasper Hill, made possible through an epic collaboration with Cabot Cooperative Creamery<\/a>, were constructed as a means of lowering the barriers to entry for value-added production for others in our region,\u201d says Rheaume. \u201cIt provided us the infrastructure to aggregate more artisan cheese into distribution channels, increasing access for small scale farms in our community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Oma photo courtesy of Murray’s<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Iconic cheeses such as Cabot Clothbound Cheddar<\/a>, Willoughby<\/a>, and Oma<\/a> either began because of, or owe their longevity to, The Cellars at Jasper Hill. Willoughby was able to continue after its original cheesemaker, Marisa Mauro of Ploughgate Creamery, discontinued operations following a fire at the dairy. Oma represents a different kind of dairy\/affineur success story, coming into being as a partnership between von Trapp Farmstead<\/a> and Jasper Hill, who was responsible for its ripening until very recently, while the von Trapp family developed a facility to ripen it on-premise.<\/p>\n

In terms of trust required for these kinds of relationships, Murray\u2019s Cheese Caves is responsible not only for the ripening of domestic cheeses from throughout the U.S., but many international ones as well. \u201cI’ve started using the term stewardship a lot more than collaboration, because there’s a lot of trust involved in the process,\u201d says Associate Caves Director Josh Windsor. \u201cWe\u2019re being very open and transparent about who we’re working with, what the base cheeses are, whether they’re available in the market somewhere else under a different name, under the same name, or whether it’s something exclusive to us,\u201d says Windsor. For example, Murray\u2019s Cave Aged Cornelia<\/a> begins its life as unaged Point Reyes Toma<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Murray’s Cave Aged Reserve Barnstorm Blue – a partnership with Jasper Hill<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere’s the trust in maintaining the integrity of the cheese maker\u2019s work and product, and keeping that quality throughout the affinage process,\u201d says Windsor. \u201cAnd then there’s also the trust about food safety. It’s scary as a cheese maker to know that you’re working with a product that always has the potential of having a contaminant and making someone sick, and then to just hand it off to someone else who has even a higher likelihood of [causing that] if they don’t know what they’re doing,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, making sure that our processes are high quality, and very conservative from a food safety standpoint, is part of building that trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of note, Murray\u2019s and Jasper Hill are responsible for many collaborative cheeses, most recently Murray\u2019s Cave Aged Reserve Barnstorm Blue<\/a>, a highly technical square, washed rind, raw cow\u2019s milk blue cheese.<\/p>\n

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Finding Specialty Ingredient Purveyors<\/h2>\n

Partnerships in cheese are not only limited to those operators who represent an obvious link in the dairy chain. Products used for additions or finishes to cheese allow for cheesemakers to look to related industries for cross-promotion purposes. \u201cArtisan cheese has continued to gain popularity in the United States, but it is not a government subsidized industry, so collaborations [beyond dairy] are essential to help cheese gain more visibility and revenue streams since it is a higher value item,\u201d says Sennett.<\/p>\n

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Pour Me A Slice photo credit Beehive Cheese<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Utah\u2019s Beehive Cheese<\/a>, for example, offers an array of cheeses built upon the same base cheese recipe, aged and finished with a variety of partners\u2019 products, including whiskey, honey, coffee, chilies, etc. \u201cCollaborations with innovative brands such as Basil Hayden\u2019s give us an opportunity to reach new fans in different ways,\u201d says Britton Walsh, Beehive Cheese\u2019s President, who notes that the kinds of products that end up in Beehive\u2019s cheeses are often those that may be served with cheese. \u201cIt also allows us an opportunity to learn from other companies and helps us think outside the box of our day-to-day work.\u201d (Of note, Beehive\u2019s growth in recent years has resulted in them passing over the cheesemaking element of their business to Gossner Foods<\/a>, while Beehive will continue to do the finishing and affinage \u2014 the opposite of the relationships described above.)<\/p>\n

Rheaume echoes these sentiments, \u201cJasper Hill launched our special wash program to hitch our wagon to the growing enthusiasm for craft beer in the early 2010s,\u201d he says. \u201cIt allowed us to grab the attention of people who were already enthusiastic about the notion of craft in food production, conscious of how food is grown and produced, and pull their attention toward the farmstead cheese movement,\u201d he says. As Jasper Hill has grown in prominence in the decade since, \u201cWe’re now to the point where the market’s familiarity with Willoughby and other cheeses that get special wash treatment \u2014 such as Harbison \u2014 can provide more visibility for smaller or regional brewers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Autumn sees many seasonal cross-promotions between cheesemakers and other products or players. Jasper Hill has recently released a Port-washed Harbison Mini in collaboration with iconic Port producer, Sandeman<\/a>, which keeps with the nature Jasper Hill\u2019s washed rind program, and also leverages the weight of an international brand. \u201cOur collaboration with Sandeman is a bit novel, as our special washes have generally been customer-driven; distribution partners or retailers would propose a beloved regional craft beverage producer for the commission of a limited-edition cheese, unique to their portfolios,\u201d says Rheaume. \u201cIn our collaboration with Sandeman, though, we’ve had the fun of originating a special-release that is available to our whole network of wholesale partners. As a legacy brand with more professionally developed PR resources, Sandeman is generously sharing the spotlight with us as they spread the word about this epic pairing.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Noelle Cheese Grotto with Capriole Goat Cheese<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And Sennett, a former monger whose company now makes mini cheese caves for personal use, and offers a cheese subscription program, has also had a hand in creating a seasonal cheese in partnership with Capriole Goat Cheese<\/a>: a paprika-dusted goat cheese called Noelle decked with a bourbon-soaked chestnut leaf. \u201cOne of my first favorite cheeses at my first cheesemonger job at Cowgirl Creamery<\/a> was Sofia by Capriole, an ash-ripened goat cheese that is clean, bright, floral, mineral, and amazing on a baguette with honey,\u201d says Sennett. \u201cAs we continue to grow our cheese subscription program, it only made sense to me to include Capriole Goat Cheese in a creative collaboration, as they are one of my dream cheesemakers. As someone who previously worked as a cheesemaker, but is now in the business of storing, educating, and selling cheese, it is very fulfilling to have a bit of a hand in the process of creating a new cheese with Capriole that also aligns with their values and approach to cheesemaking. It is also a fun experience for Capriole as well, as they continue to explore the possibilities of what they can make in their small cheesemaking room.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Adding Celebrity Sizzle<\/h2>\n

The beverage space has been no stranger to celebrity culture, especially over the past decade, with celebs from every industry putting their names, palates, or even hands to products across the beverage spectrum, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. (Beyonce<\/a>, among the most recent, released SirDavis American Whisky<\/a>, a New York International Spirits Competition Gold Medal winner.)<\/p>\n

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Stanley Tucci courtesy of Matt Holyoak<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although artisanal cheese may not seem to have the same reach as something like, say, tequila, a few key celebrities have already begun reaching across the dairy aisle for a wedge of the cheese wheel. Murray\u2019s recently announced two retail projects with celebrity names on the banner: S.Pellegrino teamed up with Stanley Tucci<\/a> to offer a holiday cheese \u201ccake\u201d offered exclusively through Murray\u2019s. The four-tiered cheese centerpiece consists of Buonatavola Provolone, Murray\u2019s Cave Aged Reserve Cornelia, Murray\u2019s Mini Brie, and Alta Langa La Tur.<\/p>\n

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SJP x Murray\u2019s – The Curated Collection photo credit Murray’s<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also available, SJP X Murray\u2019s<\/a> is a curated collection of cheeses to pair with Sarah Jessica Parker\u2019s Invivo X SJP New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The cheeses on offer are Taleggio, Murray\u2019s Young Manchego, and Murray\u2019s Estate Gouda. A podcast<\/a> between Parker and Murray\u2019s Cara Siegel, Director of Business Development and Hospitality offers a peek into the tasting process of pairing the wine with the cheeses. (Also noteworthy, Parker apparently loves wafty cheeses, swooning particularly over the Taleggio and naming Irish Gubbeen<\/a> as her number one cheese.)<\/p>\n

Will we see more of this? \u201cI can’t see any negative repercussions to celebrity collaborations, as long as the values are still maintained, and the cheesemaker’s vision isn’t compromised,\u201d says Sennett. \u201cArtisan cheesemakers always need more visibility, and it’s about time that these cheeses got as much recognition as a celebrity wine or microbrew.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCheese is fun and sexy \u2014 period,\u201d says Walsh. \u201cI love the idea of celebrities working in the cheese space because I think it gives us a chance to tell our stories. Our dream celebrity collaborator would be Ryan Gosling,\u201d he says, \u201cSo if you’re out there, Ryan, Beehive Cheese has some cheese with your name on it.\u201d A Ken cheese? We\u2019d eat that!\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RLM Epoisses You might find the name of a cheesemaker or the name of an affineur on a package of cheese that comes from Europe. That\u2019s been much less common in America. But times are changing, and so is cheesemaking. Modern cheesemaking has evolved to include partnerships or collaborations among numerous players: those directly related … Okumaya devam et “The Keys to Successful Cheese Collabs”<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1271,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[395],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-milk-and-diary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1271"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4154\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}