Victory Cheese Boxes | The Cheese Professor

Editors note: I’m very pleased to welcome Sheana Davis to The Cheese Professor. Davis is a well-respected cheesemaker, cheese educator and caterer. We thought she would be the perfect person to introduce the concept of Victory Cheese Boxes.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, the cheese community was affected by the restaurant closures immediately. Families were suddenly cooking simple comfort food at home with basic cheeses, not dining on artisan cheeses in Michelin star restaurants. Our company, The Epicurean Connection, which only sells to chefs and restaurants, went from 30 accounts weekly to zero in the first week of March.

Many small cheesemakers and dairy farmers rely on restaurant sales to sustain their business. So what could they do? Enter Victory Cheese. Distributors, cheese retailers, cheese professionals, chefs, cheesemongers, and cheese lovers all came together to establish the program. Each plays a crucial role, with retailers serving as advocates as well as a sales channel for cheesemakers. The all-volunteer grassroots Victory Cheese effort is similar to the Victory Gardens during World War II, in that the community is working to sustain the artisan American cheesemakers and dairy farmers, but in this case, it’s connecting everyone involved in making, selling, buying and consuming cheese.

Sarah Marcus, Briar Rose Creamery photo credit: Christine Hyatt

Retailers can set up a Victory Cheese Box program for customers in-store and consumers can order a Victory Cheese Box from an artisan American cheesemaker. For instance, Gordon Edgar, Rainbow Grocery Coop’s cheese buyer, began a Victory Box program early on, starting with supporting Briar Rose Creamery in Oregon. Gordon ordered direct from Briar Rose owner and head cheesemaker Sarah Marcus and set up a Briar Rose Victory Box, which quickly sold out! Since then, Gordon has added a Capriole Cheese Victory Box and others. Recently Rainbow was offering 10 Victory Cheese boxes.

Bob Wills, owner and cheesemaker at Cedar Grove Cheese Company, will be forever thankful for the call he received from Gordon, who placed a large order and included Cedar Grove in another Victory Cheese Box for Rainbow Grocery. Bob said not only did it help his company economically, but the order also raised optimism for future orders. Cedar Grove is now included in several Victory Cheese Boxes, and Bob greatly appreciates the support he and his cheese company have received.

Now, a few weeks into the Victory Cheese Project, you can order Victory Cheese boxes with choices from many cheesemakers across the country, and sometimes directly from the cheesemakers themselves. Jasper Hill Farm hosts a variety of Victory Cheese Boxes with a focus on North East cheese companies. All the boxes are designed to make a significant economic impact for the cheesemakers, and in turn help sustain the local economy. Japser Hill Farm co-founder Mateo Kehler is very proud to be supporting local dairies with the Victory Boxes and yet at the same time, he personally had to sell off a herd of cows, due to less cheese production during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is bittersweet, helping his community while also having to make difficult business decisions for his own dairy.

Victory Cheese Box is also supporting artisans, through advocacy at local, state, and national levels by working with organizations including the American Cheese Society, with the longterm goal of visibility for the cheese industry and its current state and fragility. Victory Cheese will be lobbying at many levels and would like to be a resource for everyone from the industry to consumers. So far they are truly making a positive difference throughout the country. In addition to The American Cheese Society, guilds from around the country have come together to support regional cheesemakers while they struggle to sell their cheeses and create a new market and demand for artisan American cheeses.

How can you become involved or help, you ask? Please visit the Victory Cheese Box website and see where you can mail order or purchase victory boxes. Share Victory Cheese website with your friends and businesses in your community. If you are sending a gift to someone for a special occasion, consider a cheese box from one of the companies listed on the Victory Cheese website. In addition to choosing to purchase American cheeses, follow along on https://www.instagram.com/victorycheese/ and Victory Cheese Facebook page. By supporting the Victory Cheese Project you are contributing to the success of many cheesemakers and dairy farmers across the country.