Noble Rind Cheese Company opened its doors in February 2022 in the Hotel Fortney in downtown Viroqua. Owners Sarah and Chris Clemens are pleased to offer the community artisan cheese and charcuterie along with sandwiches, salads and soups. Enjoy our conversation with Sarah.
What prompted you to start your business? There are a few different elements that led to the creation of Noble Rind Cheese. When I traveled around Wisconsin, the great state of cheese, the majority of the cheese shops I was visiting were only selling commodity cheese. Cheeses that were all made on a large scale with pasteurized milk, wrapped in plastic and not a natural cheese rind in sight. I had been working in the cheese industry for a number of years and even at really nice cheese counters, we were still wrapping every piece of high-quality cheese in plastic. Covid, unfortunately, made prepackaged foods even more standard. I wanted to provide a shop to our community that was able to sell high-quality food, in better condition, and with less packaging.
When building your business, did you always have a goal of using natural ingredients and reducing waste? Yes! Our favorite cheeses to eat and sell are the all-natural ones. With raw milk, natural rinds and maybe at most arriving wrapped in paper, in a cardboard box or wooden crate. We source organic and locally as much as possible and plan our menu around seasonal ingredients.
Have you run into any frustrations or disappointments? When we opened, I didn't want to have any take-away coffee cups. I wanted people to either sit and drink their coffee or bring a to-go cup from home. This, unfortunately, is just not the norm in our culture at the moment. We also have not gotten into packaging our own take-out salads or olives yet because we are still determining the best way that we can do this without relying on plastic containers. Avoiding plastic completely is nearly impossible, but we are committed to eliminating single-use plastic as much as possible.
Have you encountered any surprises along the way? It takes longer to buy cheese or meat from a cut-to-order counter. However, I think there are a lot of people that are willing to do this. At least some of the time, if not all of the time. When we buy our food in 2024, I think more and more of us are looking closer at where our food is coming from. Who are we giving our money to and how is it packaged? Going back just a smidge in time to food counters with experts serving you. Handmade and hand-cut and hand-wrapped products. Connecting us closer to each other, our food systems and our communities.
What pitfalls have you run into when working to reduce your waste? One challenge is trying to get away from plastic wrap. We reduce our consumption by working with really great eco-friendly products but can’t get away from it entirely. The other tricky piece is that although there is a lot of "eco-friendly" packaging on the market, you still have to be really careful about what you're buying and pay a premium. Most products labeled "compostable" are actually not. That is a big bummer, and I hope to see significant growth in this industry in the coming years.
Have there been any changes that were easier than you expected?
One thing I am really happy about is how easy it is for me to wrap cheese and freshly cut deli meats in totally sustainable packaging. We have little tricks and special paper you can buy to use at home as well.
What do you wish your customers knew about your efforts? All of our hand-cut cheese is wrapped in 100% compostable cheese paper. Your cheese is much happier this way and so is the planet. All of our cheese, charcuterie and catering trays are either plated on eco-friendly bamboo platters or handmade 100% wooden trays manufactured in Wisconsin! Your trays can be used over and over again, returned to the shop or burned in the fire when they are ready to retire. We only use paper straws and regularly lend out ceramic trays and glass dishes to customers for their orders. They bring them back to the shop and it's a win-win. We are also using 100% recyclable chafing dishes for catering and offer to source eco-friendly place settings for customers for their events.
Please give us a “virtual tour” of your business to let readers know more about the products that you carry. At Noble Rind Cheese you will find a beautiful cheese case that specializes in American Farmstead cheese but also has classic Wisconsin favorites and a few imported specialties. Plus a cut-to-order meat case with dry-cured products like salami and prosciutto and every day high-quality meats like turkey and ham. We have a full menu, a wine list and a fantastic selection of soft drinks, non-alcoholic wine and specialty grocery items to accompany your cheese and charcuterie.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your business?
We are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm. Be on the lookout for expanded retail options and a catering menu to be launching in 2025.
For more information visit www.noblerind.com or contact Sarah Clemens at sarah@noblerind.com.
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