Churning Dreams into Cheesemaking Business: How Avalanche Cheese Company Got Its Start
Wendy Mitchell, owner of Avalanche Cheese Company, could have never imagined a life as an artisan cheesemaker. “I was a city girl who grew up in Houston,” she recalls. If cheesemaking wasn’t enough of a stretch of the imagination, Wendy most certainly never envisioned owning and caring for more than 200 dairy goats. Posing the question elicits laughter. “Never! Never. I would say you have to be kidding.”
Although no laughing matter six short years ago, sale of the burrito restaurant chain Wendy managed turned out to be a twist of fate. Freed by the sale, in 2006, Wendy, husband Kevin and their two young children packed up their Texas home and headed to Edinburgh, Scotland, where Kevin began pursuit of a master’s degree. “It was just what you would imagine. Homes with thatched roofs and open pastures leading to beautiful farms,” smiles Wendy. No one could have predicted that this picturesque backdrop would not only inspire Wendy to change careers, but would also set the stage for a renowned cheesemaking business in the U.S.
As Kevin pursued his degree, Wendy started to think about her next step. “I wanted to change careers and cheesemaking just made sense.” It just connected.” Although a foreigner, Wendy didn’t let intimidation hold her back. Eager to learn, she started knocking on doors and wrote letters to farmers yearning to learn their craft. In only one year’s time, she shadowed six farmers and took several cheese making courses. “People in the cheesemaking world are very open, which I feel very fortunate for. It’s not like other trades where they see you as competition,” said Wendy.
With her niche mastered and Kevin’s degree completed, the Mitchell family jetted back to the states. Settling in Aspen, Colorado, Wendy was ready to get down to cheesemaking business, but soon ran into her first roadblock – milk supply. “We assumed we could buy milk from a co- op or distributor, but remember, this is Wendy here, and she wanted to make enough cheese to supply the entire Roaring Fork Valley,” teasingly remembers Kevin.
To circumvent supply issues, the couple decided to buy property in Paonia to raise their own milk-producing goats. They also hired a farm manager for day-to-day operations, and to keep a close eye on the animals. Yet, Wendy still finds herself rolling up her sleeves, “I even birth goats. What can I say? I like a challenge.” Wendy recalls the first time she rescued a goat at birth, flying into action after noticing the newborn was struggling to breathe. “It was so unsettling. I had the vet on the phone and I kept pulling. I didn’t think I could pull any harder, but somehow I did. It was one of the most amazing feelings when he got on this feet,” said Wendy. “It shows you are stronger than you think you are in moments like that.” That rescue led to much praise as word spread quickly in her small town. During a quick trip to the local hardware store the next day, even the storeowner had heard the big news. “He yelled to her across the aisle: ‘Hey Wendy! I heard you pulled quads! You’re part of the crowd!’ ” Kevin jokes that he has yet to join the ranks, “Wendy has what it takes. I am still in training.”
Today, Wendy can be found most often at her Basalt creamery, approximately 70 miles from Paonia, where several full-time employees assist in the creation of seven cheese varieties. Wendy admits she may not have the background of many traditional cheesemakers, but believes her unique experience in Scotland sets her apart. “I don’t have formal training or a degree in microbiology, but I think my experience frees me to experiment more as a cheesemaker.”
This creative and spontaneous approach to cheesemaking is quickly gaining recognition in Colorado and beyond. Avalanche Cheese is now sold in Whole Foods stores across the Front Range and in specialty cheese shops around the nation. Wendy also supplies more than 20 restaurants in the Roaring Fork Valley. The Executive Chef of 8K Restaurant in Snowmass says he can’t get enough of the product. “If you have tasted it, you know it’s phenomenal,” said Chef Will Nolan. “I really believe in their product because we know where the food is coming from.” Cheese connoisseurs can savor everything from sweet flavors such as Truffled Honey and Lemon Chevre Spread to their richer Goat Cheddar, which earned gold from the American Cheese Society this year. Despite their success, don’t expect the company to remain anything but local. “We want to stay small,” says Wendy. “If we started saying yes to distributors, we would have to raise our prices. I don’t want to do that.”
As dedicated as Wendy is to her business, she is an equally dedicated mom. Her children, 12-year-old Claire and 11-year-old Nick, often accompany their mom to the creamery to help salt the cheeses. “I am sure my kids wish their mom was around more, but they are learning how to make what you love into a career.” And that has surely been the key to Wendy’s success.
