Whether you’re vegan or not, you’ve likely noticed the plethora of non-dairy nut cheeses on grocery store shelves in recent years. Plant-based versions of nearly every food group seem to be represented these days and vegan cheese is no exception.
Here to share all things vegan cheese related is Alissa Barthel Founder and Co-owner of Punk Rawk Labs. Alissa and I met in 2014 at the Seattle Vegetarian Food Festival at the Punk Rawk Labs booth when I stopped by to sample some of her cashew vegan cheese. Not only was I blown away by the taste of the products, but also the quality (Punk Rawk Labs cheeses are unique as they are actually cultured and fermented unlike many other vegan “cheese” on the market today). I loved them so much that I featured them on my blog a couple years ago; check out my review here. Since then, Alissa and I crossed paths yet again last year in Austin, Texas at Vida Vegan Con and became quick friends.
Today, in true interview form, Alissa answers my many questions about how PRL got started and also all those plant-based nut cheese questions you’ve likely been wondering about yourself. Be sure to read through the entire interview (the story of how the company got started is particularly interesting) so that you can enter the GIVEAWAY for a chance to win one of TWO Punk Rawk Labs vegan cheese sampler sets sent right to your door!
As always, thanks so much for tuning in.
Yeehaw, Kayle
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cowgirls & Collard Greens: Because I know you personally, I know your story about how Punk Rawk Labs came to be, but can you share that story with my readers?
AB: Absolutely. I think I told someone in an interview once that it was an orchestra of synchronicities. I feel like that sums it up nicely. In a lot of ways, I feel like this was my path before I ever knew it was my path. I actually used to be a scientist, a microbiologist/cancer researcher. I love science. It was clear though in following that path that it didn’t necessarily suit my personality. The intention that drew me to it initially was that I wanted to help people be healthier. I was told when I was there that I had an ‘artistic temperament’ and I should do something with that. Little did I know at the time what that would be. It’s funny. But shortly after dramatically exiting a PhD program, I wrote a song. It was maybe the first song I ever wrote. It was called ‘American Cheese’. It didn’t have anything to do with cheese at the time. It was all about fake, overly processed food as sort of a metaphor for my struggles in figuring out where I belonged in the world. This was at least 15 years before I ever thought of making cheese. The song is actually one of the prizes in our GoFundMe campaign right now. Looking back, it’s pretty prophetic.
Fast forward 15 years. After leaving grad school, I went back to working in restaurants. It wasn’t really my plan at the time. It just felt right. My strict Asian mother was very unhappy with this choice. I spent a long time doing this. Just kind of observing. It wasn’t really my ambition to work in food. To the people in my life, I seemed to have no ambition whatsoever. Nobody could figure it out. I played in bands. I worked in restaurants. I was an observer of systems. Then, a couple life changing events happened. They seemed like tragedies at the time, but their impact was magical.
The first thing that happened was I had a toxic exposure. I was living in a building with faulty plumbing, and I got exposed to a bunch of toxic gas. The doctor explained to me that it was kind of like carbon monoxide poisoning. He said I was lucky to be alive because the gas that I was exposed to can kill people. I was fortunate. I did however develop a number of complications. An autoimmune condition that climaxed when I was hospitalized for my liver essentially shutting down. There were other complications, but this is a long story already.
I learned from this experience that I did really well with raw vegan food. I didn’t understand why because I didn’t really know what was wrong with me. I just knew it was helping. So I went to study under renowned raw food chef, Matthew Kenney who opened a school in Oklahoma (where my family lives). Initially, I had planned on starting a part time catering business, but the universe had other plans for me. A few months after I returned, I was on my way to a bar-b-q at the home of Julie (who would later become my business partner). I never made it to the party because on the way there, I got into a serious car accident. It was a T-bone accident with a driver side impact. I was the driver. My life changed in an instant. I saw myself in the third person. I felt like I was having an out of body experience. The paramedics pulled me out of the car and took me to the hospital. I was in physical therapy for about eighteen months. I was moving pretty slowly. It wasn’t really my intention at the time to start a business. I was just trying to make something that I could eat – a project where I could work up to going back to work. I had a lot of time to tinker. This was when I perfected the cheese recipe.
Back then, there wasn’t really a lot out there for people with my dietary issues. The idea of nut based cheeses was in it’s infancy – something people made at home. I started making the cheese to sell at the farmer’s market. I posted a picture of them on my blog. A store in Manhattan saw the picture and requested a sample. They decided to carry them. The cheese sold out right away. Once word got out, I started getting contacted by more stores from all over the country. Clearly, I had tapped into an unmet demand. I was still in physical therapy at the time. I was in over my head. My friend Julie offered to help out. Little did she know at the time what she was getting into.
Really, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I had a food background. I had a microbiology background. I can’t eat dairy. I was interested in making something I could eat. I made the cheese. My friend Julie appreciated it right away as she can’t eat dairy either. She had a business background and had just sold her business – a record store. She was looking for her next move. I was on crutches. It was meant to be. It was our destiny.
Things went well. Well enough that since that time, a lot of big companies with lots more money have come onto the market. We’re now competing against that. It’s tough; we don’t have those kinds of resources. It’s frustrating that our voices can get drowned out in that context. But we’re still here. We’re scrappy. We have heart.
C&CG: Punk Rawk Labs is a small artisan non-dairy cheese company. Can you share how many people are involved with PRL and what each of your roles are?
AB: Yes. There are three partners. I mentioned Julie Wellman. She owned a vinyl record store here in Minneapolis for 10 years. She had a business background. She has autoimmune disease, so she has an appreciation for the need to avoid dairy. She also has a background in grocery. She used to be a buyer at our local co-op. She handles much of the business side of things.– payroll, administration, taxes, bookkeeping, etc., but she’s also in charge of shipping. And of course, as an owner you have to help out with everything.
Shortly after we started, Julie gave birth to the fabulous Sonny. So this is when we brought our second partner, Heidi Ochsner, on board. She is a registered dietitian and has a Master’s degree in Nutrition. She was the one that helped me figure out my anti-inflammation diet when I first got sick. So she was pretty invested in the story. It was a natural progression that she started helping out with the paperwork while Julie was on maternity leave. That evolved into a distribution deal on the West Coast which she now manages. She also does our demoing out there. You may have noticed her at some of the bigger expos in that area of the country (she is based in Seattle).
Then there is me, of course. I’m basically in charge of production. I run the kitchen and everything involved with that. It seems like I’m always involved in other things too. But to be honest, the life of an entrepreneur can be such a whirlwind that it’s hard to even put into words what you spend your hours doing. By the time you’ve put it out there, you’re on to the next thing!
Beyond that, we have eight part-time employees that help us mostly in the kitchen, a little with shipping, and some administrative stuff. It’s a nice little community that we have. A passionate tribe of misfits that would be impossible to narrow down to an overarching theme. Definitely folks who identify as vegan, food sensitive, artists, yogis, foodies, etc. They put a lot of love into what they do. I’m so grateful for them. I love our team!
C&CG: What does a typical day look like in the land of Punk Rawk Labs there in Minneapolis?
AB: Well, no day is ever the same around here. I can tell you that. But there is a certain rhythm that we’ve fallen into. We make one batch of cheeses per week. So each day is a different part of the process. We’ve been doing this long enough now that it feels like a collective consciousness has developed around the cheese. There’s a regularity to it, but it’s always evolving. We’re always building off of what came before. I feel like the cheese has only gotten better over time because of this cyclical nature. The process just gets more refined. I’m proud of that.
C&CG: Why is fermented cheese your preferred way of cheese making as opposed to other methods?
AB: It’s an exciting time in the world of vegan cheese– lots of innovation and new developments. People are approaching the problem from different perspectives and that is fascinating to me. There’s a culinary perspective – where you’re sort of mimicking the flavor of cheese with like nutritional yeast or miso or lemon juice. There’s a traditional cheesemaking perspective – where you’re mimicking the physical process of making cheese. It’s so interesting to me the different outcomes that result from these different perspectives. My background is in microbiology so I feel like we approach making cheese from that perspective. Letting the culture do the work. When you look at what’s in our cheese, the base is just four simple ingredients: organic cashews, water, culture, and salt. So really a lot of our job is just facilitating an environment that empowers the culture to do it’s job. Which is really what microbiology is all about.
C&CG: Do you consider yourself to be a foodie? And, were you a lover of cheese before going vegan and starting PRL?
AB: Absolutely. I have about 25 years of experience in the restaurant/food service industry. I love food. I love cheese. When I was a little girl, I loved dairy. It’s just that as an adult I’ve found that it doesn’t love me back. That was the intention that brought me here. As I’ve gotten more involved, I’ve discovered that the industry has other impacts on society that are just as profound. It’s been an interesting journey.
C&CG: Can you tell us how you came up with the name Punk Rawk Labs and what it stands for/means to you?
AB: Well, PRL grew organically out of a human experience. Initially, I was a really sick person who was just trying to heal myself. I had a lot of complicated health issues that nobody around me seemed to relate to. I found that when I went on the internet and exposed myself to a larger pool of people, I was able to find others whose experience resonated with mine. I started a blog – really as a means of support. To connect with other people who could relate to my experience. My health issues were very intense, and it was difficult to find solutions. Since I was blogging about personal stuff (like my health problems), I wanted to be more anonymous. I was in a band, and I used to be a scientist. So that was sort of my blogger tag. Little did I know at the time what it would evolve into.
C&CG: What are you most proud of when it comes to PRL and your non-dairy cheese making?
AB: I am most proud of our roots. I’m proud of the way we started. It really grew out of a response to a personal tragedy – out of a personal incentive to heal coupled with other people’s desire to help. I feel like human journeys like this always lead to something cool. It’s like at this point, we are competing with companies that have significantly mor
e funding. Millions of dollars more. But we remain relevant, and I think this is why. I think what we are doing resonates with people in an authentic way. And I’m proud of that.
C&CG: Because you are the scientist for PRL, does this mean that you don’t eat your own products? In other words, do you ever get tired of sampling or tasting your own cheese?
AB: Haha, that’s a good question. Actually, no. I haven’t gotten tired of the cheese yet. And now that you mention it, that’s interesting because having worked in restaurants forever, it’s like a running joke. That you always get sick of the food where you work. I hadn’t really noticed until you brought it up, but I haven’t gotten tired of the cheese yet. Maybe that’s a sign.
C&CG: Generally speaking, where is PRL cheese available? Can you order online?
AB: Yes. You can order online through Vegan Essentials. As far as availability in stores goes, we have the best presence in Seattle (and the Pacific Northwest) and Minneapolis/St.Paul (and the upper Midwest) as this is where our two distributors are located. An exciting development that is in the works right now is that we are working with a distributor in Austin, Texas to bring our cheeses there. This is super meaningful to me personally as I grew up down there. But beyond that, we are available in stores around the country; places like San Francisco, NYC, Denver, Fayetteville, Santa Fe, Savannah, Cincinnati, Boston, and Portland, Oregon.
C&CG: I understand that there are some new items in the works at PRL. Can you give us any ideas or sneak peeks into what’s up and coming?
AB: We are excited about some new products we have coming out soon. We have a new cheese flavor called ‘Cashew of the Woods’. It’s a sort of mushroom inspired flavor with hints of truffle, celeriac, and white pepper. It pairs beautifully with a shishito mustard what we will also be releasing. This is another of the prize packages on our GoFundMe page. We’ve also been raffling off preview packs on our YouTube channel.
C&CG: Thanks so much for sharing your story with us here today Alissa and for teaming up with me to share the vegan cheese love for the giveaways!
For those who want to join the Punk Rawk Labs giveaway (one sampler pack and one new product preview pack) please follow the simple steps below to be entered.
Alissa Barthel is the founder and co-owner of Punk Rawk Labs, an artisan dairy-free cheese company based in Minneapolis. A former microbiologist with 25 years experience in the restaurant/food service industry, she started making non-dairy vegan cheeses while in recovery from a car accident in 2010. The cheeses quickly developed a life of their own, and she has been scrambling to keep up with them ever since.
Please show Punk Rawk Labs some support by staying in touch with them on any of their social media channels or by supporting their GoFundMe campaign so they can continue to bring high quality plant-based and fermented nut milk cheeses to the masses!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Punk Rawk Labs Nutmilk Cheese Giveaway
TWO winners will be chosen on Thursday, March 17, 2016 at NOON PST and notified by email.
- Please ensure that you are signed up for email updates for Cowgirls & Collard Greens by visiting here. You must leave your email as that’s how winners will be reached.
- Please leave a comment below explaining what you find most interesting about how Punk Rawk Labs came to be. Also include who you’d share your PRL cheese sampler pack with if you win.
- That’s all– super easy. Thanks for entering and good luck!
I like how they came up with the name
Me too! Such a fun and creative name and story!
The right people at the right time. I would share it with my not-as-yet-vegan husband.
Good luck Carolina! I bet your husband will love the cheese!
I love seeing another scientist getting into the food field (I’m actually a food scientist by education)! I’d love to win so I can (try to) get my SO to taste these…though I think I’ll end up eating it all myself. 🙂
Food scientists rock! If you win, you might just have to eat the cheese all yourself– it’s THAT good!
I love the circuitous journey of PRL and I marvel at the benefits of a time-out from life (lots of time to tinker!). I would share my PRL cheese sampler pack with my daughter, who really appreciates non-dairy cheeses given that she’s lactose-intolerant, and my husband, who avoids cheese for health reasons (even though he has no intolerance issues). They’re not vegan yet like me, but maybe one day….
Fingers crossed that your family goes vegan one day! Perhaps PRL cheeses might have something to do with it. Thanks for entering Pamela and good luck!
What a journey! Life changing moments that became magic. I love it! Scrappy with heart. My husband and I are both vegans and finding vegan cheese without scary ingredients is tough. I love that you have 4 simple ingredients. That is everything to me. If I won, I would definitely share my PRL cheese with my husband.
I love how Alissa describes her company too– “Scrappy with heart”! And yes, PRL has some of the cleanest ingredients as far as vegan cheese goes! Thanks for entering and good luck!
what a great journey. I love it and Id share the cheese with my hubby
I totally agree, Alissa’s path and the culmination of PRL cheese was indeed a journey! Thanks for entering!
How the creator-Alissa had the courage to leave the path that she was on and do something different. A lot of people will continue with a career path even if inside it is not their passion. If I won the sampler I would share it with my mom.
Isn’t Alissa’s story so powerful and interesting? Thanks so much for taking the time to enter and best of luck with the giveaway!
It’s so cool how this product came to be because the creator chose to take a different path in life and wanted to heal herself through food. It’s amazing what the right nutrition can do for us! PRL vegan nut cheese sounds amazing, I don’t know if I could share 😉 JK, I’d share with my friend who is an RD.
I know, I love the story of how this wonderful cheese came to be! Best of luck with the contest and thanks so much for entering!
First off, PRL cheeses are favorites of mine; Taste is reminiscent of what I remember traditional cheeses tasting like, though it’s been 10+ years. Really appreciate the innovative approach to being pioneers in culturing vegan cheese. And knowing it will soon have a southern distributor will make it more available. I would share the win with my monthly vegan potluck group so they can enjoy PRL cheeses for themselves.
So glad that you already love PRL cheese! It would be so awesome if you shared your winnings with your vegan group. Best of luck with the giveaway and thanks for entering!
I am most impressed with the genuine way PRL came together. By listening to your heart and connecting with your tribe online, you were able to produce an authentic product that others enjoy just as much as you did as you created them!
I would share them with my Mom, who is vegan like me, but has seemed to have given up on non-dairy cheeses since so many have missed the mark. I plan to show her the light!
I totally agree Tara! I love the story of how PRL came to be! I hope PRL cheese will make your mom reconsider vegan cheese!
I was always curious about their name. Nice on how it all came together.
There are many vegan cheeses I dislike, and I love Punk Rawk Labs nacho cheese, so I would share with all of my cheese loving friends, because I would not be scared to give vegan cheese a bad name with Punk Rawk Labs.
I too had been curious about the name and how it came to be! And you’re right! Even non-vegans will love this cheese!
Yeehaw and CONGRATS on being one of the TWO PRL winners! Alissa of PRL has your contact info and will be in touch soon about shipping you out your “preview pack” of PRL vegan cashew cheeses!
I have tried their cheese, and it is delicious! I got some from Vegan Essentials and had some in Portland. I would share with my vegan husband of course!
Yay! I love their cheese too and I think you’ll love some of their new flavors!
CONGRATS on being one of the TWO winners Leslie! Alissa of PRL will be in touch as to shipping you a 4 pack of PRL vegan cheese real soon. YEEEEEHHHAAAAWWWW!
It’s such a great example of Minneapolis always being on the cutting edge!
Totally agree!
I am so excited that my friend introduced me to this cheese!!! I have been a vegetarian for almost my entire life and then this past Christmas I decided to live a full on cruel fee lifestyle. The most difficult part for me has been missing my “wine and cheese” nights with friends. Until now. I am so in love with your Nacho and Smoked cheese. Thank you so much for your hard work and love in you artesian cheese.
Butterfly kisses!!!
I agree, love the Smoked and Nacho flavors! I think you’ll love their latest flavor called Into the Woods too! Thanks for entering and yeehaw! xo
I like that a microbiologist turned cheesemaker! And if i had to share (do i have to?) i’d share with my friend Margaret
Indeed! Thanks for entering!
I like that you were able to drive through the pain and setbacks, accept help, and while healing yourself…allow us to use your products to help ourselves. I’d love to share my gift with my husband who is still a meat eater, but tries everything I make or buy, and enjoys a lot of vegan products.
Thanks Jamie! Best of luck in the giveaway!
I think that it’s amazing the path she began with morphed after toxic exposure to produce wonderful vegan cheeses
Forgot to say that I’d share with my daughter in law and grandsons
I subscribe to your newsletter, and look forward to seeing it in my inbox.
I always appreciate your kind words Karen. Thank you so much! Best of luck with my cheese giveaway; I’d love for you to share it with your daughter-in-law and grandsons!
I LOVE that this is a women-founded business! and i LOVE Punk Rawk Labs cheese. If i win the prize i will share it with my best friends.
I too love that it is a woman found and run biz! I am so glad that you are familiar with PRL cheese already. It’s pretty wonderful. Thanks for entering the contest and good luck!
I think consider the foundation as a human journey is post interesting! Our identities are found by doing what we love everyday and drawing closer to what calls out to us! I would definitely share this with my boyfriend- both of us being vegan cheese lovers … in more way than one:)
Yes! Nice way of putting it Allana and I totally agree. Thanks for entering and best of luck!
Alissa’s story is very inspiration. She never gave up despite her health/life challenges.. Now there is a healthy delicious cheese that everyone can enjoy!
I agree! And we all know that you have tried this vegan cheese and like it! It’s great for all to enjoy for sure!
I really enjoyed learning more about Punk Rawk Labs! Alissa’s path of discovery through her physical hardships is inspirational. It embodies punk in its raw form. I have some friends that are transitioning into a healthy lifestyle and I would love to share this package with them!
PRL cheese would be an incredible gift to share with anyone, but especially those who are moving towards a more plant-based and healthy lifestyle!
I am always inspired to learn about businesses that start up after personal health issues arise. What a cool company! I would share with my husband and my two best vegan friends Andrea and Dustin.
Are you from Minneapolis? I have two vegan friends named Andrea and Dustin. When I first started out, they had the booth next to me at the Farmer’s Market. And people would get annoyed that we were always passionately talking about food instead of manning our booths. 🙂
I agree as someone who changed my entire lifestyle after a cancer diagnosis in 2008. Thanks for entering Jennifer and best of luck!
Thanks for all the sweet comments. I have a warm fuzzy feeling. 🙂
Yeehaw!
Wow. What a story. Love when life changing moments turn into something beautiful. The car accident was a blessing in disguise, which is the lens that I’ve learned to look at seemingly devastating situations through. And what a gift this cheese is! Still one of my favorites. I would definitely share the cheese with my hubby, as well as a couple of buyers (my friends) at my fav natural food stores on Kauai, because we NEED this cheese!!!!
Hawaii does NEED this cheese! Thanks for entering Allison and good luck. Yeehaw!
I’ve been eating this cheese for a few years (oh that smoked peppercorn makes me swoon), but learning the story of how the company originated makes me love it even more. thanks for sharing this story Kayle! If I have to share (j/k!) I’d share with my sister who also loves the punk rawk. 🙂 yay!
You bet! So glad that I could share Alissa’s story and put PRL in the spotlight; they definitely deserve it! Love all the PRL cheese. Yeehaw!
PRL is my fav cheese. I sympathize with Alissa that it was a need to heal that made her start wanting to experiment with nut based cheeses. I had a rare form of cancer and became vegan after that. My daughter is also unable to eat dairy (doctors refused to believe this, but we figured it out on our own) and she loves PRL cheeses the most. So if we win, we will be taste testing the cheeses together, and I doubt they will last long!
Holla from one cancer cowgirl to another! I went vegan two weeks after my initial cancer diagnosis. You’ll love this cheese. Thanks for entering and sharing.
I have t had their cheese yet, but I hope to
Me too! Thanks for entering Amanda!
I love that the founder is a scientist! Lady scientists are badass, especially vegan ones! I’d share with my vegan friends!
Badass is right! Thanks for entering and for your support Jacky!
Taking personal circumstances and making a change that can effect the masses is profound. I like the fact that people can take a situation that has effected them and turn it into something that not only helps them but many others. Making a change and getting things done! What a powerful presence for all women to admire and even though I’m not vegan (I’m a pescetarian) I still tend to buy and consume a lot of vegan products and I’m working my way into a full vegan lifestyle!
Congrats to you for moving towards a fully plantbased lifestyle. Kudos to you! Thanks for sharing and entering. Yeehaw!
Ummm, the song American Cheese? Awesome part of the story! Great stuff. And who would I share the cheese with? Well, I’d have to say my buddy Shannon from Cinnaholic, since that’s where I first tried the PRL cheese.
Niiice! A PRL lover already! Thanks for entering Alex. Yeehaw!
Thank you for bringing this article and this company to our attention as this is the first I have heard of it. It’s nice to support these kinds of businesses. And it’s great to see how in the face of adversity you all came up with such great products instead of giving up. You are a very good example and motivation to us all. I too have an auto immune disease. And in addition to myself, my husband, my son and so many other family members and friends cannot eat dairy. So I have many people with whom I would be thrilled and excited to share this prize with. Thank you again and I hope to be able to taste some of your products soon.
Thanks for sharing Cheryl! I too think Alissa’s story is one to spread and support. Thanks for entering the giveaway!
I love the idea of an “artistic temperament”! I think thats what drove her to keep going and creating throughout all the hardship and disasters. I’d love to try all her cheeses! After this cleanse I’m doing with my friend, Gina, we’re definitely going to be in need of some treats. Gimme all the Vegan Cheeze!!
Gimme all the vegan cheese is riiiight! Thanks for your support Marisa; yeehaw!
I feel so inspired that Alissa was able to heal herself with raw vegan food! Thank you both so much for the giveaway. I’d either share my sample pack with my omni boyfriend or my vegan community.
YOu betcha! I think Alissa is amazing and wish more people knew about her incredible story and journey! Thanks for entering the giveaway lady. Yeehaw!
I am always curious how GoFundMe businesses do. Do they succeed? Apparently, this one has! Plus her story of how she started is sad because she suffered an illness, and yet uplifting because she create something unique. I a curious about vegan cheese. I have a co-worker who lives them. I would share with my co-workers & family. ?
Thanks for entering Lynd! Yes, many crowd supported campaigns raise above and beyond their goal– pretty amazing! I think you’d love this incredible cheese– it’s super delicious! Thanks for your support lady and best of luck with the giveaway!
I find it interesting that she started making the cheese just for herself and it took off from there.
A true inspiration for all of us! Thanks for your support and for entering!
Wow what an amazing story! Fascinating about the toxic exposure and healing with raw foods! So glad it helped! I live in Minneapolis and love Punk Rawk cheeses. I’d love to try the new ones!
Yay! So glad that you are already familiar with PRL! I agree, Alissa has an incredible story! Good luck with the giveaway and thanks for entering!
This line struck me: “a personal incentive to heal coupled with other people’s desire to help.” Just imagine if more companies were started with a philosophy like that! It’s good to know that there are people out there who care about each other.
And I’d share my sampler pack with my kids!
I totally agree Melissa! I find Alissa’s story of PRL totally unique and inspiring. She’s definitely a cheese warrior!
Being a vegan in my family of cheese lovin’ meat lovin’ carnivores makes it difficult to break them of these bad habits without an alternative… now I’ve found it!!! I can’t wait to order (or find in a local store) the “cheeses” and try them out on my family. I’d be forever a fan!!!
I love the special team that they have who makes all the cheese with love! My wife and I would love a platter!