Do Good. Eat Good.
Our mission and driving force.
Two years after John announced on our honeymoon that he wanted to quit his job and "do something in cheese," we unlocked the front door to our very own cheese shop on February 11, 2010. We've been asked many times since, "Why a Cheese Shop?" and the answer is simple.
After putting ourselves through cheese bootcamps, running a cheese club out of our house, attending cheese conferences, interning for French affineur Herve Mons, journeying through Europe, and eating our way through thousands of tasty cheese morsels, we honed in on our true passions. Then, over a bottle of wine one evening, we realized that working behind a cheese case would allow us to fulfill them all: eat great cheese, talk to whomever would listen, travel the world and spend more time together.
Ignoring all evidence of a down economy we went for it. The result is our Cheese Shop where we focus on sourcing the finest artisanal cheese and providing cut to order service in a relaxed, "taste before you buy" experience. Nestled into historic Hyde Park, our business has since grown to include the Cheese House, where we offer public tasting classes and private events. Additionally, we operate a warehouse which serves as home base for our wholesale program, sourcing products for over 150 Central Texas restaurants and partners. Our ecommerce shipping and monthly cheese club are also processed in our warehouse.
While you're visiting our website, you'll find many photos of the products we offer. Unfortunately you can't taste them through your screen. So come by the shop and let our passionate team of cheesemongers do what they do best: guide you through the case sharing the stories of their favorite products and offering small tastes to make you smile. We hope to see you soon.
Our Core Principles
- Passion with
Purpose - Be True. To Ourselves.
To Others. - Be a Juggernaut
of Awesome. - Family First.
Then Business. - Improve Every
Day.
We represent hundreds of artisanal producers making delicious and responsible food; learning their stories in person and then retelling them to our customers; and building a team of advocates for real food.
On Sourcing
We partner with artisans who manage their lands sustainably and regeneratively, care for their herds humanely, source raw materials ethically, and lead their businesses and teams to do better. It's a positive circle of support and love. In that light, we work to follow the principles of the Slow Food movement in sourcing goods that are "good, clean, and fair," as well as the Good Food Retailers Collaborative movement in curating a selection of foods that are "tasty, authentic, and responsibly-sourced."
On Creating a Culture of Belonging
We are building a community that allows each and every individual to confidently and unapologetically show up as themselves every day, including our amazing team members, our passionate producers and suppliers, our customers, our affiliate organizations, and our non-profit partners. This lifelong work to create a culture of belonging celebrates diversity and appreciates all the hands that bring good food to our plates. That includes our commitment to combating systemic racism, a destroyer of belonging and inclusion. Read more about our anti-racist action here.
On Operating
We seek to minimize our footprint. We recycle and compost, minimizing our waste. We use biodegradable, compostable materials—from our cheese trays to our specially-sourced cheese paper. We continue to push forward daily to become a better, greener business.
On Paying It Forward
We donate goods and services to local nonprofit organizations and charitable endeavors. Additionally, we donate a significant portion of our time to serving our local Austin community, as well as our national cheese community and global food system. See specifics on our Philanthropy page.
Here's to continuing to push the ball forward and letting our mission of "Do Good. Eat Good." drive every decision we make, working towards a positive impact for our team, our community, our producers, our food system, and our environment.
