Double batch of cheese

[xray]

"Didn’t expect this to become a business! "
Can you expand on this please, as I'm always looking for things I can do to make a little extra cash at home.
Thank you.
Dan

Hi Dan, that was said in jest because I was taking orders for awhile smoking cheese. It seems every year I end up making more and more. But it's all family and friends.

They have supplied me the cheese for the most part and I have smoked it for them. The pellets and my time are cheap but the vac seal bags are not. Luckily, my younger brother bought me a few rolls as payment for smoking him a few lbs. (much appreciated!) Others have paid for my services my trading other goods. I received a bunch of Rudy's BBQ sauce and rub as payment...to me, that was better than money.

I have no desire to sell to the public. If I were, I think I would like to wax the cheese and have custom labels...but I have no experience in setting up a business or what other liabilities are involved with local regulations such as food licenses and permits.

Sorry, I can't help you more on this. I've never gone down that road. If you are to start a small business, selling smoked cheese and goodies...I wish you all the best!!!

 

[HalfSmoked]

My $.02 as Ray stated if you are going into a food business you need to work with all local authorities.
Especially the health dept. trying to work around them will only make any problems worst later . I have dealt with them for years and what it comes down to its all about food safety.

Warren

 

[forktender]

Hi Dan, that was said in jest because I was taking orders for awhile smoking cheese. It seems every year I end up making more and more. But it's all family and friends.

They have supplied me the cheese for the most part and I have smoked it for them. The pellets and my time are cheap but the vac seal bags are not. Luckily, my younger brother bought me a few rolls as payment for smoking him a few lbs. (much appreciated!) Others have paid for my services my trading other goods. I received a bunch of Rudy's BBQ sauce and rub as payment...to me, that was better than money.

I have no desire to sell to the public. If I were, I think I would like to wax the cheese and have custom labels...but I have no experience in setting up a business or what other liabilities are involved with local regulations such as food licenses and permits.

Sorry, I can't help you more on this. I've never gone down that road. If you are to start a small business, selling smoked cheese and goodies...I wish you all the best!!!

I wasn't sure if you or a friend had a restaurant or catered or something like that and were selling it to customers.
Thank you.
Dan

 

[forktender]

My $.02 as Ray stated if you are going into a food business you need to work with all local authorities.
Especially the health dept. trying to work around them will only make any problems worst later . I have dealt with them for years and what it comes down to its all about food safety.

Warren

Agree with this 100%.
Thanks.
Dan

 

[xray]

My $.02 as Ray stated if you are going into a food business you need to work with all local authorities.
Especially the health dept. trying to work around them will only make any problems worst later . I have dealt with them for years and what it comes down to its all about food safety.

Warren

Agree with this 100%.
Thanks.
Dan

X3 in agreement as well. And I’m sure the regulations vary by wildly by state.

In my opinion, if I were to sell it, I would sell it to local wineries. A lot of the ones around here sell unique and homecrafted things like baked and canned goods, jams and jellies

 

[forktender]

X3 in agreement as well. And I’m sure the regulations vary by wildly by state.

In my opinion, if I were to sell it, I would sell it to local wineries. A lot of the ones around here sell unique and homecrafted things like baked and canned goods, jams and jellies

That is something I can look into, I live about 30 miles from the Napa valley and and 45 miles to the Sonoma valley and I have connections through my brother. He sells to a number of the big player wineries in the valleys, mainly mechanical supplies such as pumps, piping and S.S. holding tanks mainly. That's how I get my Cabernet soaked white oak wine staves that I use for smoking beef and lamb. I will have to get a few contacts through him. I could easily buy a S.S. cooling rack like this and convert it into a cold smoker by adding a smoke generator.
Wine soaked oak staves for cheese would be awesome and a great selling point for the wineries.

This is something I can look into, thank you for the great idea.

Dan

 

[HalfSmoked]

Thanks for the like forktender it is appreciated.

Wish you luck in your adventure if you decide to pursue it.

Warren

 

[xray]

Wow, that is a great idea! Especially incorporating the staves with the cheese. I think wineries would be much more receptive to that.

I like the ss cabinet idea for cold smoking too. Something like that would allow me to smoke cheese year round because my smokers get too hot in the sun.

Would you add a mailbox mod to that? If I were to smoke cheese with that from a business standpoint, I would place the cabinet indoors and duct the exhaust outside. That way you could smoke cheese all year and eliminate weather variables and control humidity.