Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Donaldson.
Hi Heather, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
If you had told me four years ago that I would one day own a plant-based cheese business, I would have laughed. A self-proclaimed foodie who enjoyed all types of food, I had just married a (mainly) vegetarian and moved from Cincinnati to L.A. A few months later, my husband Reggie and I decided that we wanted to do more to help the environment. After researching, we decided together that eating a mainly plant-based diet was the most impactful thing we could do as individuals. We agreed to try it for one week and enjoyed it so much that we kept on. Eventually, we made it a lifestyle but really missed good cheese and charcuterie, so I started experimenting with making plant-based cheese at home. When family circumstances prompted a move back to Cincinnati (Reggie and I both grew up here), I shared my cheeses with friends. Before long, strangers were asking to buy my cheese, and Mad Cheese was born. What started as a small side business in a church kitchen with three products has grown. Reggie and I make all of the cheeses, meats and our popular Spicy Ranch in our production kitchen attached to our retail store. We package everything and run the store as well. Now, you can find over twenty products at local shops and restaurants and at Mad Cheese’s brick-and-mortar shop in Madisonville. We also offer shipping within the U.S.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of interest and support we received right from the start. Since neither of us has ever worked in food production before, there was a very steep learning curve (fun and challenging). We still feel as though we are scrambling to keep up with the business growth.
I had not planned to start a business, so launched Mad Cheese with no capital. The first year, a local church was generous enough to let me use their kitchen part-time in exchange for cleaning their bathrooms and working one day a week in their office. At the beginning of the second year, I was awarded a grant from Main Street Ventures, which allowed us to move to a dedicated commercial kitchen and purchase true commercial equipment.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Mad Cheese is a completely plant-based, dairy-free cheese and charcuterie company. We make everything by hand in small batches and have over twenty products. We work really hard to develop products that have tastes and textures similar to their dairy/meat counterparts and that work in a similar fashion in the kitchen. We love that our customers are people at all different stages on their food journeys, whether they are fully vegan, dairy-free due to health issues, or dabbling in plant-based food. Our mission is to help more people eat more plants more often.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
We definitely believe in taking risks (I like to call it taking opportunities). Starting a business, we knew nothing about running and doing it with no capital, for one. Moving into our brick-and-mortar in October was also a big opportunity that we didn’t feel completely ready for financially. We are so glad we did it, though! We love being able to interact with our customers, and our sales have exceeded our expectations.
Throughout my life, some of the most amazing and profound growth, both business and personal, has come from stepping outside of my comfort zone and trusting my intuition.
Pricing:
- Our individual products range in price from $12-$25
- We make custom cheese and charcuterie boards. $95-$107
- We offer curated tastings in our store by reservation. $50-$150
- We often have events (Cheese Making Classes, Paint and Sip, etc.). Prices vary per event.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.madcheese.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madcheesecincy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadCheeseCincy/
