Did You Know? There are more than 2000 varieties of cheese available worldwide! Greece is the largest consumer of cheese, each person consuming around 27.3kg of cheese each year! Pizza Hut is the largest cheese-using fast food giant, it uses approximately 300 million pounds of cheese annually, mostly on pizza. The first cheese factory was established in Switzerland in 1815, however successful mass production began in 1851 in the United States. A whopping 20 million metric tons of cheese is produced worldwide each year and production is increasing with growing demand. Cheese can be produced using a variety of milk including cow, buffalo, goat, horse, and even camel. Cheese production around the globe is more than the combined worldwide production of coffee, tobacco, tea, and cocoa beans. (Source: Fun Interesting Facts: Cheese)   The craft of affinage is the process of maturing cheese

   Manufacturing & Production

Cheesemonger - Noun: someone who sells cheese.

The Cheesemonger prepares, stocks, serves, and merchandises cheese, beverage and food products to our customers and maintains our high standards of safety and sanitation. As a Cheesemonger in a unique specialty shop, you will be expected to provide customers with information on cheese types, recipe options and pairing suggestions.

Cheesemongers manage the cheese department in specialty or artisan food shops. Their job duties include extensive tasting, relationships with farmers and cheesemakers, selecting which cheeses to purchase, knowing how all the cheeses are made and storing the cheese correctly. Cheesemongers can get specialized training in the field or also go through several years of hands-on experience.

A cheesemonger's main job is helping customers select the best cheese for their meal. You need an encyclopedic knowledge of what flavors go best with what foods and drinks, what cheeses are ripe and in season and an ability to get to know your customers and their tastes. You also need to be able to recommend a cheese when a customer asks for advice. A good cheesemonger should also offer small tastes of their cheeses to help their customers make buying decisions. How do you develop this knowledge? Eat lots and lots of cheeses, all the time.

There's even an International Best Cheesemonger Competition every year. Contestants are tested on practical knowledge, artistry, taste combinations, presentation and cutting, and they must present a tray of cheeses chosen to fit a particular theme.

ANZSCO ID: 831114

(Source: How Stuff Works)

Knowledge, skills and attributes

• Excellent customer service skills with the ability to sell and recognize sales opportunities with
  guests
• Highest standards of ethics and integrity, humble, making our customers feel comfortable and
  important
• Extensive knowledge of and passion for cheese and wine
• Ability to continuously learn and represent effectively to customers new cheese and wine terms,
  production methods, taste profiles and paring compliments
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills
• Highly organized and able to adapt quickly to changing priorities
• Self- motivated to succeed, meet deadlines and follow through on tasks
• Strong attention to detail for accuracy in all facets of the position
• Experience with computer and PC-based cash register
• Ability to multi-task especially during busy periods
• Ability to follow policies and procedures
• Ability to work days, evenings, weekends and holidays
• Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
  

Duties and Tasks

Cheesemonger may perform the following tasks:

• Supports a positive customer experience, providing guests with a unique, enthusiastic and informational experience
• Observes and supports all store rules and company policies
• Serves cheese and pours wine at local events, tastings and private parties
• Prepares cheese platters, baskets and shipments
• Packs, labels and merchandises cheese and food items
• Receives and stores food products to maintain freshness
• Maintains the entire work area in a clean and sanitary condition and follows all safety procedures
• Stocks shelves and tasting room products as necessary
• Keeps familiar with company policies and procedures
• Correctly operates a cash register
• Answers phones and takes orders for special request items

 

 

 

Did You Know? Australia's first 'university of cheese' is open for curdling Good Food article 25 October 2020 French cheesemaker Julie Larcher at the cheese school in Castlemaine, Victoria Photo: Simon Schluter The world's first privately funded cheese school launched this week in Castlemaine in central Victoria. Targeting both professionals and cheese-loving members of the general public, the school will tutor its first students from early next year. Leading the teaching program is French cheesemaker Ivan Larcher, a man known in international dairy circles as "The Cheese Whisperer". Larcher was lured to Australia by retired lawyer Alison Lansley and local cheesemakers Carla Meurs and Ann-Marie Monda of Holy Goat at Sutton Grange. The three shared a vision to create Australia's first 'university of cheese'. Alison Lansley secretary of the Australian Specialist Cheesemakers Association (at rear) with French cheesemakers Ivan and Julie Larcher. Photo: Simon Schluter "It is an integrated model in which cheesemakers and the public can learn cheesemaking skills in the context of commercial production," says Meurs. "We used to have many cheese factories across Australia. Those skills have been lost. We want to bring the skill, knowledge and artistry of cheesemaking to Australia and lift the entire industry to another level." Meurs and Monda will be taking students from the school to their nearby farm, and teaching them about soil, pasture and animal health. "You can't make great cheese without good pasture and healthy animals," says Meurs. Alison Lansley, secretary of the Australian Specialist Cheesemakers, gets hands on. Photo: Simon Schluter To fund the school, Larcher will also head sister business Long Paddock Cheese, an artisan factory producing French-style cheeses made from locally sourced cow's milk. Long Paddock has already produced some exceptional cheeses, inspired by the great French fromages Larcher grew up with such as brie and epoisses. They will be available early November through cheesemongers and a small shop adjacent to the cheese school at The Mill, Castlemaine's former industrial site turned regional food hub. "We will soon sell milk, yoghurt and cream too," says Lansley, who bankrolled the school's development. While she won't disclose figures, Lansley says her superannuation has been invested into the not-for-profit venture. The school's cheesemaking room is fitted with many types of high-end equipment from a small curd cheddaring mill, to a 120-litre copper Swiss milk vat. Windows allow passers-by to see cheese being made by hand. "We want to integrate what we do with the community," says Lansley. "Good cheese needs to be part of everyday life." Larcher has committed to the project, selling his farm in France and moving to Harcourt near Castlemaine. "This is more than a school," he says. "This is the beginning of a movement."   (Source: The Cheese School Facebook page)

Related Jobs or Working with these Jobs

Baker	Brewer	Chef	Livestock Farmer
Salesperson	Winemaker

Materials sourced from
Open University,
Australian Visa Bureau;
How Stuff Works;
Spring Side Cheese
Good Universities Guide [Cheese maker; ]
Your Career [Dairy Products Maker; ]