Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Birgit Halbreiter, co-owner of MouCo Cheese Company, located in Fort Collins, CO, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Our business is MouCo Cheese Company. We specialize in soft-ripened cheeses like Brie and Camembert (we also make a truffled Camembert and washed-rind cheese), although we expanded into the hard cheese world by offering fresh Cheddar Cheese Curds - the only ones west of the prairie - and beer cheese made with Longmont's Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout. We are living in Fort Collins, and the Colorado Front Range is teeming with little microbreweries and tap houses, so this made perfect sense, and it is quite the latest hype.
Our customers come from walks of life - everyone just loves yummy, gooey cheeses. Our biggest fans want to relive fond memories of the mid-west with fresh cheese curds, a vacation in Paris with some creamy Camembert, or just enjoy good company with great food.
Tell us about yourself
I was born in Germany, in Bavaria. My father was a cheesemaker; I apprenticed as a food lab tech after school. Cheese, beer, sausages, and funny felt hats were around me all my life. I moved to Canada and worked there for Molson Breweries, then down to Colorado and had the opportunity to be in the decision-making circle of New Belgium Brewing Company for a few years during their astounding rise from little, local brewery to a regional/national recognized entity.
When it was time to leave, one obviously pondered what would be next. It was almost natural that the skills my husband and I accumulated over the years in the brewing and cheese industry would lend themselves to start a small cheesery, creating niche cheeses for the area, educating consumers about them, and having fun. It is very rewarding to be part of a community that values good food and local companies. The wall of fame (medals won at competitions) here at the cheesery is, of course, also nice to look at, the sense that you added value to the industry, to a region, and are recognized for it, in big and small competitions. But it is really the people you meet at farmers' markets beer/wine festivals that make my day.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Still being in business after 20 years and weathering quite a few global and local crises (2008 economic crash, wildfire 2013, flooding in town 2013, wildfires close to town 2020, COVID, etc., etc.). Staying flexible, learning to be reflective to find out what works or not, how times are changing.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
The hardest thing is probably that the burden always lies with you. You are always on; every problem seems to be your problem. It is tiring after a few decades.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Do your legwork - start with a business plan.
- Be yourself and stick to your values and ethics.
- Look at the many solutions.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.mouco.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MouCo.Cheese.Company/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mouco_cheese_company/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/moucocheese
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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