Where To Buy Cheese-Making Equipment
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Whether you make cheese for your family or want to start an artisan cheese business, Kallijah Paraska and her husband, Phil Segami, have all the rennets, cultures, molds, plastic cheese molds and kits you need. And because they buy in bulk from manufacturers, they pass big savings on to their customers.
Born and raised in a Wisconsin cheese-making community, Paraska knows about cheese and how to make it. She works as a business development officer and lives in Washington, but she and her husband wanted to establish a cheese-related business to take them into retirement in a few years. Though they make cheese for their own personal use, Paraska decided to use her knowledge of the cheese making process and sales skills to sell supplies. So, the couple started The Cheese Connection in 2010.
“We get supplies from 20 companies in France, Italy, Canada and New Zealand,” Paraska says. “And we get one plastic cheese mold from a U.S. company. We have over 200 products on our website.”
Among them are 70 different plastic cheese molds, with 9,000 units in stock. The Cheese Connection is the only U.S. distributor of disposable molds for Caprino cheese, a popular soft cheese made with goat milk.
“We get requests for plastic cheese molds from consumer cheese makers in Europe. Our prices are cheaper sent from the U.S. in flat priority boxes than it is for them to buy it locally,” Paraska says.
After a couple years in the business, the couple knows what their customers need, and they maintain adequate supplies so they can usually fill last minute orders. Cultures and rennets have a shelf life (from 6 months to a year), so they move rennets within 45 to 60 days. Products are kept refrigerated or frozen; deep frozen products are stored in a cryogenics freezer.
One of the cultures that they have access to that’s only manufactured in France is P. Album, a Penicillium Roqueforti in freeze-dried form. The Cheese Connection also works with creameries, signing confidentiality agreements to protect proprietary information on cultures each particular creamery uses.
Paraska notes that they keep prices down, because they don’t provide expert advice. They refer customers to experts for that service.
Spring is an especially busy time after animals give birth, and cheese makers have a lot of milk to work with. Paraska and Segami accommodate customers with speedy shipping as needed. They personally deliver orders of more than $500 within a couple hundred miles of their Seattle, Wash., home. Midnight cultures and rennet runs to creameries is not uncommon to them.
All orders are taken by phone or through their website.
“We continue to add new products monthly, so come back and visit our site regularly,” Paraska says.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, The Cheese Connection, P.O. Box 70813, Seattle, Wash. 98127 (ph 206 307-7224; www.cheeseconnection.net).
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Where To Buy Cheese-Making Equipment DAIRY EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Whether you make cheese for your family or want to start an artisan cheese business Kallijah Paraska and her husband Phil Segami have all the rennets cultures molds plastic cheese molds and kits you need And because they buy in bulk from manufacturers they pass big savings on to their customers Born and raised in a Wisconsin cheese-making community Paraska knows about cheese and how to make it She works as a business development officer and lives in Washington but she and her husband wanted to establish a cheese-related business to take them into retirement in a few years Though they make cheese for their own personal use Paraska decided to use her knowledge of the cheese making process and sales skills to sell supplies So the couple started The Cheese Connection in 2010 “We get supplies from 20 companies in France Italy Canada and New Zealand ” Paraska says “And we get one plastic cheese mold from a U S company We have over 200 products on our website ” Among them are 70 different plastic cheese molds with 9 000 units in stock The Cheese Connection is the only U S distributor of disposable molds for Caprino cheese a popular soft cheese made with goat milk “We get requests for plastic cheese molds from consumer cheese makers in Europe Our prices are cheaper sent from the U S in flat priority boxes than it is for them to buy it locally ” Paraska says After a couple years in the business the couple knows what their customers need and they maintain adequate supplies so they can usually fill last minute orders Cultures and rennets have a shelf life from 6 months to a year so they move rennets within 45 to 60 days Products are kept refrigerated or frozen; deep frozen products are stored in a cryogenics freezer One of the cultures that they have access to that’s only manufactured in France is P Album a Penicillium Roqueforti in freeze-dried form The Cheese Connection also works with creameries signing confidentiality agreements to protect proprietary information on cultures each particular creamery uses Paraska notes that they keep prices down because they don’t provide expert advice They refer customers to experts for that service Spring is an especially busy time after animals give birth and cheese makers have a lot of milk to work with Paraska and Segami accommodate customers with speedy shipping as needed They personally deliver orders of more than $500 within a couple hundred miles of their Seattle Wash home Midnight cultures and rennet runs to creameries is not uncommon to them All orders are taken by phone or through their website “We continue to add new products monthly so come back and visit our site regularly ” Paraska says Contact: FARM SHOW Followup The Cheese Connection P O Box 70813 Seattle Wash 98127 ph 206 307-7224; www cheeseconnection net
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