Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1521157
20 culturecheesemag.com THE HOT LIS T 2024 VOICINGS way to store different styles. So, that's how the quarterly subscription came about. CM: All of the cheeses you carry are American made. Why is it important for you to highlight American cheesemakers? JS: We produce the Grottos in the United States, so I wanted to concentrate on American-made cheeses to focus on regionality. It works well with our bigger ethos around American-made and smaller-to-medium scale productions where you can actually monitor quality and have that touchpoint with customers, too. CM: I will say, in doing my research for this, I did see lots of amazing customer service reviews. Everyone has great things to say about your customer service. JS: It's easy to forget that there are people on the other side when you purchase something from an online company. And at the end of the day, we're still selling a very personal, perishable product to people, so we need to have that level of communication to make sure they're happy. If you have an online business and you don't do that, you're really missing out because it takes a while to get loyal customers online. You can get lost in the noise of how much is happening on the internet. So, if you have customers, you better revere them. CM: I assume your job takes you around the country and the world to explore different cheese production models. I'm wondering, what was the last trip you were on where you had that "pinch me" moment where you're looking around thinking, is this real life? JS: It's been a while since I did much traveling, but one experience that sticks with me is touring the Luigi Guffanti underground caves while I was at the Slow Food Cheese festival in Bra, Italy. There's an underground water source that runs through the cave and a pile of bricks along a wall that are either removed or stacked depending on how they want to control the humidity of the entire space. That was a light bulb moment, when you see something so simple yet so effective, that's working with nature rather than against it to create something. CM: I read something you wrote for the Inquisitive Eater about the evolution of the American artisan cheese industry. You questioned whether artisan cheese would be able to stay true to its grassroots origin in the face of economic pressure to expand and achieve profitability. It's been 10 years since you wrote that; do you feel like what you wrote then represents how you feel today? JS: Wow. I can't believe you found that online. [I wrote that while attending the New School in New York City.] Yeah, it's always something that I contend with. I don't think my values have changed much because I still like keeping things small and about the people and the care and artistry that goes into making these different styles [of cheese]. We're always at odds with this capitalist framework. We have to operate within it, and it can be hard to stay true to the ideals that might have inspired you to get into the industry to begin with when you have to make financial decisions for your business. It's very challenging to be up against the larger industrial agricultural system while trying to create and diversify food systems. The way to stay true to those values is to stay true to the people and the community producing [the cheese]. CM: I did notice that the new products you've developed since the original Grotto are all at lower price points than the original model. Is that so you can offer price accessibility? The Cheese Grotto Mezzo, designed for smaller spaces.